File photo used for representation only
Qatar has a strong sports calendar for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and moving to the country for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and beyond. The country is attracting companies locally and globally and is placing itself as a global sports hub said an official during an event.
In celebration of Qatar National Sport Day, the Qatar Lawyers Association and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) College of Law organised a webinar in association with Sultan Al-Abdullah & Partners, Al-Ansari & Associates, McNair Chambers and Dr Muna Al-Marzouqi Law Firm which discussed sports-related topics in light of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 such as the future development of sports law in Qatar, the benefits and challenges of mega sports events and their relationship to SMEs, the local legacy and legal impact of mega sports events, and resolution of sports disputes.
Moderating the event entitled ‘Recent Developments in Sports Law in Qatar: A Roundtable Conversation’ Dr Susan L Karamanian, Dean, HBKU College of Law said, “In Qatar we are getting ready for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 scheduled for November 21 through December 18. It is fitting to talk about developments in sports law and we have outstanding panelists and experts in sports in Qatar to help explore the range of issues from new laws in Qatar related to sports or the World Cup, issues unique to major sports events and the legacy of these events.
Faisal Zainal, Project Manager, Aspire Zone Foundation discussed the benefits in Qatar arising out of the World Cup 2022 for SMEs and how to ensure to benefit beyond the games. “We have had huge interest from the SMEs in the market internationally and locally for the World Cup. The opportunities are now as Qatar is trying to place itself as a global sports hub beyond the World Cup and right now, we are seeing a lot of companies moving to the market,” he said.
There is a strong calendar for SMEs and companies moving to Qatar, Zainal explained. “The tenders and most of the opportunities for the World Cup have been issued and now we are looking at the post event calendar like the Tennis, Formula 1 and we have won the 2030 Asian Games. So, there is a strong calendar for SMEs and companies moving to the market. Qatar SportsTech (QST) accelerator is a project we have in Aspire which is a sports business hub where we have up to 80 companies and state-of-the-art offices for the companies to come and setup and the offices range from small, medium up to large to 250 square meters plus,” he said.
Qatar has a vision to become a sports hub globally and sports is one of the pillars of the 2030 vision. “We have a lot of interest from companies and startups in sports space given the momentum of the World Cup. We are enticing companies internationally with international focus to come to Qatar to get a free office, mentorship, seed investment and expand their business in Qatar and beyond. The sport accelerator is trying to leverage the momentum of the World Cup with what we are doing but we are also thinking much beyond that,” he added.
Speaking about incentives for local startups in Sport Accelerator, Zainal noted “We have couple of programs in partnership with Qatar Development Bank (QDB). So, QDB and Aspire run this incubation program by investing in local startups to grow the local eco system.”
Responding to query about success stories in Qatar he cited Sponix, which is a sports technology company and was successful across the whole value chain which Aspire and the sport accelerator offers and today the company has gone from strength to strength.
Salman Al-Ansari, Partner, Al-Ansari & Associates; Dr Muna Al-Marzouqi, Associate Vice President for Academic Planning & Quality Assurance, Qatar University; Thomas Williams, Partner, Sultan Al-Abdulla & Partners; Dr Zachary Calo, Professor, HBKU College of Law; and Dr Kamilla Swart-Arries, Associate Professor, HBKU College of Science & Engineering also participated in the event.
This year’s National Sport Day activities will be held under the slogan ‘Sports is Life’ to express the importance of dedicating a day to sports and to mark the tenth anniversary of the launch of the National Sport Day.
