Major International Sports & Health Forum planned for Doha

The conference is being organised by Fairs & Exhibitions Ltd in association with the World Sports Forum.

Perry Smith, QSi Project Director, said that "the conference agenda is designed to appeal to all those involved in the sports industry, from scientists and health specialists to managers of major sports events. The innovative conference format provides an interactive & truly beneficial experience for delegates. Each day, three leading specialists will present papers that will then be debated by a panel of 8 experts. Delegates have the chance to ask questions & air their points of view too".

The theme for the first day of the conference is Health Through Sports and will address the crucial issue of obesity which is effecting the world and becoming a serious health threat in the Gulf region. Speakers include a keynote address by Olympic runner turned politician, Lord Sebastian Coe from the UK, together with international health specialists such as Thomas McDermott, Regional Director of UNICEF. The organisers stress the need for local content & have therefore worked hard to secure specialists from within the Gulf area, such as Dr Abdulrahman Musaiger, co-ordinator of the Arab Centre for Nutrition, and Professor Hazzaa Al Hazzaa from King Saud University in Riyadh.

Day two covers the important issue of Women in Sports and sets out to address how sports administrators, governments & the sports industry can unite their efforts to promote & increase sports participation by women. Speakers include Mrs Faezeh Hashemi, President of Islamic Countries Women Sports Federations and Dr Etsuko Ogasawara, Co-Chairperson of the International Working Group for Women. Olympic Gold Medalist & TV journalist, Donna de Varona from the USA will add an international perspective to the programme.

The third & final day includes presentations by organisers of major sports events such the recent Busan Asian Games & the highly regarded Sydney 2000 Olympics. Speakers will set out to answer questions about where mega sports events are heading, what legacy they should leave & what benefits actually effect the local community. The panel of experts includes David Churches who spent over a decade working on the Sydney Olympics together with the CEO of the Sydney games, Sandy Hollway. Abdullah Buhmaid, Director General of the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee will also take part in the conference.

Smith went on to explain that "the conference is a specialist event. Delegates to the conference comprise of officials drawn from Olympic Council of Asia nations, sports federations, sports professionals and health experts. We welcome delegates from the Gulf area and registration can be done through the QSi website". (qsi2002.com).

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