“Dubai Retreat” emphasizes the role of sport in the development of society and the movement of the economy

Participants and international sports stars praised the atmosphere of discussion and ideas that were presented during the “Dubai Sports Retreat”, which was organized by the Dubai Sports Council, the day before yesterday, with the slogan “Dubai is the number one sports destination”, with the participation of 100 decision makers, specialists, experts and sports stars who sat together, dialogued and worked. Side by side in order to present ideas and suggestions that contribute to achieving development that is commensurate with the government’s support for the sports sector, and to encourage and motivate the wise leadership working in this sector, and in society in general, to practice sports as a way of life, and an essential source for the health and happiness of community members and quality of life. .

The participants stressed that “the retreat gave them the opportunity to meet with specialists in fields that complement their work and support the sports sector, and emphasized the role of sports in the development of society and the movement of the economy.”

Economic and societal impact

The Minister of Sports, Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, said: “When it comes to sports, the first thing that comes to my mind, in terms of impact, is the economic impact, as I spent five years of my life in Melbourne, which has the same population as Dubai, about 3.6 million people, and hosts many events, such as Grand Prix racing, tennis, cricket and rugby as well. The economic impact of sports there is about 4.5 billion dollars, and a third of this number comes from hosting events, so people automatically think about hosting events. Yes, this is important. But for me, the most important aspect is the entire system, so personal trainers, nutrition and everything related to it, has a huge impact, but there is something that is also important, which is the social impact of sport as it creates a feeling of social cohesion.

Strengthening the spirit of cooperation

For her part, Director General of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, Hessa Buhumaid, said: “Organizing the retreat reflects the vision of our wise leadership towards making Dubai the premier sports destination in the world, and establishes the foundations of sustainable community development that achieves inclusion and empowerment for all, as sports play a fundamental role in achieving social cohesion. And enhancing the spirit of cooperation. The importance of partnership between the public and private sectors is highlighted here, as we in the Community Development Authority seek to employ sport as a tool to enhance interconnection between members of society from different cultures and backgrounds, which enhances the values ​​of tolerance and understanding. A large percentage of volunteer work is also harnessed to supervise The Authority is required to serve sports activities, which confirms the role of sports as a link between different segments of society, and its role in building bridges between all sectors and individuals.”

The best international city

In turn, Director General of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, Hilal Al Marri, said: “Dubai is the best example of a global city that uses sports to put it on the map and increase awareness of the city’s brand. Here in this region, sports have been a large part of people’s lives, and as Dubai grows to become one of the cities “Leading in the world, sport today plays a huge role.”

He added: “From an economic and investment perspective, we see today that most sports brands have placed Dubai as one of their global head offices, and out of four or five cities in the world consider it a global headquarters, investing in small and medium-sized companies in the sports industry, and one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.” The economy, and I’m not sure if you can cross an area in Dubai without finding a padel court, a gym or a health facility…all of this indicates growth in sports.”

Integration strategy

Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dubai Chamber for Digital Economy and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Bank of Dubai, Ahmed Bin Byat, said: “This forum is important at the present time to draw a road map for the next 10 years, as Dubai has a good infrastructure compared to other cities around the world, and Dubai has also succeeded.” In organizing major events, and I believe that this will continue with the support of the government and our major companies such as (Emirates Airlines), (Dubaal) and others, which sponsor such major events and push them forward year after year, but what we would like to see more of is a strategy. We are clear about how to integrate those who live in Dubai, and we see them included in events, especially individual events. The Olympic Games include more than 100 individual competitions, compared to more than team competitions. I am not opposed to football, but I always say that there is a great deal of interest. And the funding directed to football, and I don’t really see what the quantitative result of this matter is!”

The dream came true

As for the owner of the Dubai Basketball Team, Abdullah Al Nabooda, he said: “I lived the experience of privatizing sports in general, and private sports during the past two years. It was not an easy journey, but I believe that what we created here in Dubai would not have happened if it had been in any other city, but it is It happened in Dubai thanks to the support of the leadership, and the cooperation of the circles that helped us establish a professional basketball club in Dubai, and it was a crazy dream, because we thought of creating a basketball team that would play in Europe, with all the geography and restrictions in sports, and I think that individual sports, as we know “There are no geographical restrictions, but team sports have restrictions, and we were lucky after we did our best to achieve the ambition of playing in the European League. If we had looked at the whole idea three years ago, we would have thought it was unachievable, but thank God we are here and we have begun.” .

Main session

The main session of the “Dubai Sports Retreat” was titled “The Power of Sports… An Influence Beyond the Playground,” and the Minister of Sports, Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, the Director General of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, Helal Al Marri, and the Director General of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, Hessa, spoke in it. Bu Humaid, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dubai Chamber for Digital Economy, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Bank of Dubai, Ahmed Bin Bayat, and owner of the Dubai Basketball Team, Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah.

Second session

The second session was titled “Dubai, the land of talent…towards a promising future,” in which the legend of mixed martial arts, the Russian Habib Nur Mammadov, the former captain of the French national football team, the former star of Manchester United, Juventus and Marseille, the Frenchman Patrice Evra, and the star of the Lebanese basketball national team, spoke. , Fadi Al-Khatib, international Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza, and former captain of the Indian cricket team, Harbhajan Singh.

. Dubai Sports Council organized the retreat with the slogan “Dubai is the premier sports destination,” with the participation of 100 decision-makers, specialists, experts and sports stars.