HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, president of the Qatari and Asian athletics federations and IAAF vice-president, signed a second cooperation agreement with Ivan Bravo, director-general of the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, complementing the first agreement signed last year. It aims to focus academic attention, through the latest scientific and technological methods, on talent identification and athlete development, as well as improving the work of coaches, who form a fundamental base for advancing and sustaining Qatari athletics’ strong and effective presence on the world map.
A committee had been formed three months earlier, comprising Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari, Khalifa Abdulmalik and Kroch from the Athletics Federation, and Chris and Scott from Aspire, to develop work programmes between the academy and the Qatar Athletics Federation, and it reached a notable set of conclusions for the development of both athletes and coaches.
Since the main agreement signed last year covered cooperation in general, this second agreement was signed to focus specifically on talent identification and the training and education of coaches, contributing to advancing the mother of sports and developing its standard so that it stays competitive globally and raises Qatar’s name high in all international forums.
The agreement also covers cooperation between the federation’s coaches and Aspire’s coaches; previously each side worked its own way, but now things will be different through greater cooperation, contributing to developing players’ standards and properly identifying talent.
HE Major General Dahlan Al Hamad spoke at the press conference, stressing the importance of this agreement and its ability to contribute to developing athletes and strengthening the Qatar Athletics Federation’s successes.
Major General Al Hamad said: “There is no doubt that no one can deny the role of youth and age-group categories in developing any type of sport, and this also applies to athletics, because proper development will bear fruit in the future, and this is what we are working on with Aspire through nurturing young athletes.
Sport has developed a great deal, and some may say athletics is just about talent, but development has become a very important factor in raising standards and plays a role everywhere; all countries rely on scientific development to achieve good results, and young athletes may undergo many scientific tests to assess their level and the potential to develop and improve their careers.
He added: “Aspire has a big role in talent identification, and it has all the capabilities to discover this talent in schools and present it well, nurturing it in a proper scientific and academic manner, which helps the federation get hold of this talent and bring it to the sporting arena.”
He continued: “We have worked with Aspire before, and we had agreements and joint cooperation, and the work has developed well under the management of Mr Ivan Bravo, who understands very well the foundations of cooperation with the Qatar Athletics Federation.”
The president of the Qatari and Asian athletics federations explained: “This agreement helps coaches benefit from this cooperation as well, as it contributes to supporting the federation’s coaches’ efforts to develop players’ standards, and coaches must learn from this academy — I say this to the coaches because I am certain that if we apply the terms of this agreement we will achieve much success and clear progress in the future.”
He stressed that the Olympic Committee had signed an agreement with the clubs to develop coaches, and it was in this context that the agreement between Aspire Academy and the Qatar Athletics Federation also came about, to apply the same kind of cooperation and contribute to advancing the sport and putting it on the right track.
Aspire a global training centre for athletics
HE Major General Dahlan Al Hamad revealed that an agreement has been signed with the IAAF for Aspire to become one of its training centres, which will make it a hub for athletics in Asia and the world, moving Aspire from a local level in Qatar to a global level. There is a vision for the institution to become global, expected to attract many world-class talents who will come here to train, which will also benefit coaches and players through the presence of these major international stars at Aspire. He confirmed that Aspire is an independent institution in the process of athlete development, but that there is a strategic plan to expand its work.
Ivan Bravo, Aspire Academy director-general:
Introducing technology contributes to development
Ivan Bravo, director-general of Aspire Academy, expressed his great happiness at the extensive cooperation with the Qatar Athletics Federation, stressing that the relationship between the two sides is outstanding and marked by joint cooperation and great mutual understanding since the academy’s founding.
Bravo said: “The relationship has developed further under HE Dahlan Al Hamad, which has helped introduce technology and a development process for players and coaches, raising their standard through excellent scientific foundations that boost progress and results.”
He added: “We signed a cooperation agreement some time ago, and now we are adding to it to develop athletes in the service of the national teams in athletics, especially as the world has noticed the development of athletics in Qatar, and we are starting to see fruitful results owing to several factors, most importantly the expertise of the Qatar Athletics Federation as well as the services and facilities provided by Aspire Academy, as shown by the presence of Mutaz Essa Barshim, Ashraf Al Saifi and Abubaker Haydar and other young players who will have a strong presence and a major role in the years to come through the attention given to them and by providing all the resources and services that help develop their standard in training and future competitions.”
Bravo stressed that the mechanism of cooperation between the federation’s coaches and Aspire is based on both sides studying how to work together and benefit from each other’s expertise.
Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari: the coach’s role is fundamental
Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari, secretary-general of the Athletics Federation, stressed the importance of the coach’s role in advancing an athletics competitor, saying on the sidelines of signing the cooperation agreement that the coach’s role can never be overlooked, since it is the coach who develops the young athlete from the very start, while other resources such as schools and academic education play a supporting role. In the end, tactics from the coach are fundamental and everything else supports that, and so attention must be paid to those other resources too.
Al Kuwari explained that Aspire’s outstanding capabilities are a good opportunity to help raise the standard of our athletes as well as coaches, since Aspire is an educational academy that has, in a short period, succeeded in giving athletes in general a sense of security by removing all obstacles for them.
He also noted that this agreement is the outcome of two and a half months of work, and that, in his words, “we are working together” to establish a clear working mechanism by explaining methods of cooperation and dividing responsibilities to achieve the best possible results.
