Lausanne-Switzerland, June 07 (QNA) – Hosting an Olympic Games in Qatar, and bringing the global sporting showcase to the Middle East for the first time, would create a social legacy that extends beyond Qatar and across the region and the world, said HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani, Vice Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF).
Speaking at the Olympism365 Summit: Sport for a Better World, HE Sheikha Hind, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Education Commission, outlined how Qatar is strengthening its position as a global hub of sports following its staging of the FIFA World Cup in 2022, while cultivating an inclusive, accessible sporting culture across the nation, the region, and beyond.
HE Sheikha Hind told an audience including members of the Olympic movement and representatives of UN agencies and development organizations that, just as Circle In is harnessing the power of sports to unify, connect, and create opportunities, so Qatar wants to do the same as an Olympic host.
“It’s no secret that Qatar is going for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and for me, as a person who is leading a foundation focused on education, and who has seen the legacy we were able to create in one sport through hosting the FIFA World Cup, it gives me chills to think about what can be created through all the different Olympic sports,” Her Excellency said during the panel session, on which she was joined by Dr. Najat Maalla, United Nations.
“It’s not only about creating a legacy for Qatar. Everything we do at Qatar Foundation is for the country, the region, and for a potential global effect. When you think about our region, and its two billion people, there is a real opportunity to think about the socioeconomic possibility through the lens of sports, and to ensure sports is seen in a different way, a more sustainable and comprehensive way.”
“I’m very proud of this partnership, because we’re taking our expertise and learning in socioeconomic development through sports to different countries and finding local partners who can support our endeavors there,” Her Excellency told the summit.
HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani also explained how Qatar’s sporting ethos, from the world-class events it hosts to the programs and pathways it provides for everyone to embrace, enjoy, and excel in sports, is built on gaining knowledge and ideas from an international outlook, and adapting this to fit the culture and values of the nation and region.
HE Vice Chairperson of QF, Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani went saying: “When my country hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022, the safest, most family-friendly, and most inclusive World Cup in history, I was very proud that we stuck to our values,” she said. “This is important for any citizen when a sporting tournament comes to their country, that it is reflective of the values of that country.