Doha: The third edition of the Aspire4Sport congress concluded yesterday. The event attracted over 4200 visitors, almost 1000 delegates, 92 speakers, and hundreds of exhibitors and media to the four-day event at Aspire Dome.
The final discussion in the ‘Stars Chat’ series featured Martina Hingis, the Swiss tennis star who won five Grand Slam single titles and spent 209 weeks as the number one player in the world.
The discussion with Hingis crowned a series of panels with an illustrious list of sporting legends, including Olympic boxing gold medalist Anthony Joshua from Britain, NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo, retired Dutch footballer Ruud Gullit, who captained Netherlands to glory at Euro 1988.
Former European and World Footballer of the Year; and Raúl González, Spanish striker who currently plays for Al Sadd also attended.
Additional highlights of the last day included a Question and Answer session with Nasser Al Khater, Communication and Marketing Director of Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee and Technical Director, Yasir Al Jamal.
Key questions addressed the timing of the FIFA 2022 World Cup, Al Khater stated that as of yet, there are no plans to move the event from the summer months.
However if the date is adjusted due to the heat, the stadia will be completed by 2021 in time for the Confederations Cup and therefore will not affect the event.
Al Khater also stressed the importance of creating a legacy ten years prior to the event as opposed to ten years after the event.
He said: “The legacy committee started in January 2012, and it is involved in all plans. Legacy has always been part of the plan including cooling technologies and modular structures.”
He added: “Our cooling technology will be revolutionary and it will be something people can learn from.”
Over 250 business-to-business meetings were conducted between partners, exhibitors and key organisations within the sporting industry, including the Qatar Olympic Committee, UAE Olympic Committee, Aspire Zone Foundation, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, Public Authority 4 Youth and Sports Kuwait.
Three forums were held over the course of the event, Aspire Med, Aspire Tech, and Aspire Build. The Aspire4Sport exhibition gave over 170 exhibitors the opportunity to showcase the latest products and services in the sports industry.
Lumatron, lighting suppliers dedicated to providing innovative products and solutions, stated: “We provide lighting to leading companies across Qatar, including the Pearl, Katara, the TORCH Doha Hotel, and the State Mosque to name a few.”
“Aspire4Sport is an opportunity for us to meet entrepreneurs, contractors, subcontractors and consultants within the industry and make connections that might lead to future business opportunities,” added a representative from Lumatron. THE PENINSULA
