Qatar Olympics would be a legacy Gamechanger, H.E. Sheikha Hind tells Olympism365 Summit
Hosting an Olympic Games in Qatar – and bringing the global sporting showcase to the Middle East for the first time – would create a social legacy that extends beyond Qatar and across the region and the world, Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, has told a top international sporting summit.
Speaking at the Olympism365 Summit: Sport for a Better World, Her Excellency Sheikha Hind – who is a member of the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Education Commission – outlined how Qatar is strengthening its position as a global hub of sports following its staging of the FIFA World Cup™ in 2022, while cultivating an inclusive, accessible sporting culture across the nation, the region, and beyond.
In a high-level session exploring the role of sports as an enabler of sustainable development, she spotlighted the Circle In project, launched by Qatar Foundation, Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to nurture more equitable, inclusive and educated communities across Asia and the Middle East and North Africa region, through sport. Part of the IOC's Olympism365 strategy to strengthen the role of sports and Olympism in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in its initial phase Circle In will support sport-for-good projects in seven countries, with a focus on women and girls, people with disabilities, and people from marginalized backgrounds.
And Her Excellency Sheikha Hind told an audience including members of the Olympic movement and representatives of UN agencies and development organizations that, just as Circle In is harnessing the power of sports to unify, connect, and create opportunities, so Qatar wants to do the same as an Olympic host.
'It's no secret that Qatar is going for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and for me, as a person who is leading a foundation focused on education, and who has seen the legacy we were able to create in one sport through hosting the FIFA World Cup, it gives me chills to think about what can be created through all the different Olympic sports,' Her Excellency said during the panel session, on which she was joined by Dr. Najat Maalla, United Nations Special Representative on Ending Violence Against Children, with the session being moderated by Benny Bonsu, Director of Daily Content at the Olympic Channel.
'It's not only about creating a legacy for Qatar. Everything we do at Qatar Foundation is for the country, the region, and for a potential global effect. When you think about our region, and its two billion people, there is a real opportunity to think about the socioeconomic possibility through the lens of sports, and to ensure sports is seen in a different way – a more sustainable and comprehensive way.'
Circle In – the name of which stems from sports teams coming together a huddle to symbolize unity and purpose – will provide accessible, safe, gender-inclusive, and sustainable community sports programs, and capacity-building pathways, in the countries where it initially operates.
Its initial goal is to benefit up to 50,000 children and youth in these countries, and train up to 5,000 coaches, teachers, and instructors to promote equality, inclusion, and education through sports. In a subsequent phase, Circle In will provide more countries in the region with digital resources that support them in developing localized, sports-based solutions to challenges they face.
'I'm very proud of this partnership, because we're taking our expertise and learning in socioeconomic development through sports to different countries and finding local partners who can support our endeavors there,' Her Excellency Sheikha Hind told the summit."
'Even the name – Circle In – reflects that this is a community project. It's not simply extracting something and placing it in a country. It's about co-creating something together.'
Her Excellency Sheikha Hind also explained how Qatar's sporting ethos – from the world-class events it hosts to the programs and pathways it provides for everyone to embrace, enjoy, and excel in sports – is built on gaining knowledge and ideas from an international outlook, and adapting this to fit the culture and values of the nation and region.
'When my country hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022 – the safest, most family-friendly, and most inclusive World Cup in history – I was very proud that we stuck to our values,' she said. 'This is important for any citizen when a sporting tournament comes to their country – that it is reflective of the values of that country.
'It's incredible to see the empowerment sports can bring. When I look at students from our school for children with autism participating in horse-riding classes, that is inclusive sports – and we do this across the board at Qatar Foundation. We ensure everyone has a space."
'Sports is part of the Qatari DNA, and so is social development. When we look at what Qatar has done, not just across the region but globally, it only made sense to naturally evolve and transition these two elements together, and so we have an opportunity to create even wider impact through sports in the context of socioeconomic development.'
Mohamed Al-Kubaisi, Acting CEO of Education Above All Foundation, said: 'Circle In is more than a sport-for-good initiative – it is a powerful extension of Education Above All Foundation's mission to ensure that every young person, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, has access to inclusive education and opportunities for personal growth.
'Through our collaboration with Qatar Foundation and the IOC, we are integrating sports with education to build resilient, empowered communities where youth can learn, thrive, and lead change—both inside the classroom and on the playing field.'
Through the Circle In collaboration, EAA Foundation is bringing its global expertise in education access, inclusion, and youth empowerment to ensure that the initiative not only promotes sport for development, but also drives learning outcomes and social inclusion for vulnerable groups. EAA's Foundation role includes integrating education and life skills into the design of sport-for-development programs, leveraging its partnerships in more than 60 countries to identify communities where Circle In can have maximum impact. With a focus on girls, children with disabilities, and marginalized youth, EAA Foundation will ensure that the initiative delivers holistic, sustainable, and measurable outcomes.
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