Aspire sponsors Qatari 'Hall of Fame' handbook

Aspire Academy for Sport Excellence have confirmed today their key sponsorship of the sports handbook, with an agreement signed between the OAC Vice President Ravi Raman and Dr Andreas Bleicher Sports Director of Aspire.

Aspire Sports Academy is set in unrivaled facilities, housed in and around the world's largest purpose built indoor sports dome, ensure the Academy's reputation as one of the foremost sporting and educational institutions in the entire international community, enticing an ever-increasing number of visitors and users, from sporting legends to global political leaders. The Academy has had a long established relationship with sporting legends of all eras and disciplines.

Dr. Bleicher said:

"It is exciting to see a stronger sports culture expand across the country. We recognise that our student athletes need role models to look up to. Having hosted sporting legends like Pele and Maradona and witnessed the impact it made on aspiring athletes, we firmly believe this initiative will inspire children to pursue a professional sports career."

Sporting Legends is a publication from Oryx Advertising Co. W.L.L and is a Qatar Today presentation. Publishers of the editor's collection handbook believe the content will be instrumental to reviving interest in sports from readers of all age groups and will focus on the careers and achievements of sporting icons.

Oryx Advertising Co. W.L.L is one of the oldest and biggest publishing house in Qatar. Established over 30 years ago, it is the only media house in the country that produces three monthly magazines - Qatar Today, Qatar Al Yom and Woman Today and a quarterly - The Connoisseur, all leaders in their categories.

Aspire encourages close association with sporting legends as an important part of helping to build fully rounded sports stars of the future for Qatar. Long-term ambassador of Aspire, triple world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj, is a legend in the sports world. The double Olympic champion, who broke world records for the 1,500 meters, the mile and 2,000 meters has been instrumental in the development of Aspire student athletes with his leadership and counsel.

Qatar is rapidly cementing its position as the leading sports centre in the region and enjoys hosting VIP's like Lionel Messi who visited Aspire earlier this year and is its new ambassador. High profile events such as the Doha Asian Games and the Aspire football talent search, Aspire Africa, emphasizes the growing significance Qatar has to regional and international sports sectors.

The Aspire dome is the regular training venue for all the Aspire student-athletes and has been used as a training venue by major Qatari sporting bodies, including the Qatar Olympic Committee, the Qatar Athletics Federation, Qatar Gymnastics Association and the Qatar Football Association.

Last year Aspire began the largest football talent search in history. Aspire Africa travelled to seven countries to screen nearly 430,000 boys by organising 26,000 football games on 700 fields during its selection process.

Aspire Africa is continuing this year and includes visits to Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal within Africa, while there will also be trials in Paraguay and Vietnam for the first time.

"Staff at Aspire believe that striving for excellence in everything we do will help to build a core of talented young Qatari athletes who will one day become the sporting legends of the future," concluded Bleicher.