ABSTRACT
Qatar's National Vision 2030 seeks to transform the country into a leading global power by the year 2030, capable of sustaining its own development and providing high living standards for its entire population. The vision is built around four major pillars, one of which includes a commitment to human development. Within this specific commitment sport can play a decisive role.
In fact, much work has already been undertaken in Qatar to provide access to, and encourage participation in, a wide variety of sporting activities. Moreover, there are few better ways to promote a sport and, by extension, the country in which it is played, than by hosting major sporting events. For several years now, Qatar has been a regular destination on the international tennis, cycling, golf and motorcycling circuits. Additionally, in recent years, Qatar has won the right to stage an impressive list of other 174international sports events. These include: 2006 Asian Games; 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 International Fencing Grand Prix; 2009 Indoor Athletics Grand Prix Championships; 2009 FINA World Cup Diving competition; 2010 and 2011 World Indoor Athletics Championships; 2011 Asian Football Championships; 2011 Asian Indoor Games; 2011 Pan-Arab Games; and 2011 World Table Tennis Championships. The ambition does not end there, however. Qatar continues to look to host sporting events on an even greater scale. Indeed, perhaps its most defining achievement to date in this regard has been the successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. With this success, Qatar has firmly arrived on the world's sporting stage. Undoubtedly, the preparations for this major tournament will have a galvanizing effect on Qatar's National Vision 2030. While the country, its economy and people, as a whole, can benefit from this project, sport in Qatar is also a very likely beneficiary. It is unprecedented for a country to learn almost 12 years in advance of this particular tournament that it is to host a FIFA World Cup. Qatar will endeavour not to forgo this opportunity to promote and manage sport generally, as well as specifically developing, and preparing football players for the tournament itself. As the host country, Qatar will automatically qualify, as of the right, for the World Cup in 2022.
The opening section of this chapter will briefly outline how Aspire Zone Foundation, a government-funded organization, is structured and is well placed to contribute to Qatar's sports economy, while simultaneously managing world-class infrastructure and events, developing elite sports performers, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Its role is therefore industry wide. Subsequently, the spotlight will then turn to one of Aspire Zone Foundation's business units, ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence, with a detailed case study of how it seeks, through its everyday work, to develop adolescent student-athletes in Qatar.
