In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
Your Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our esteemed guests,
May peace and mercy of Allah be upon you,
I would like to welcome you to Doha, capital of sports and Makkah of athletes, to launch the 3rd Doha GOALS Forum. I convey to you the regards and welcome message of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Emir of the State of Qatar, who wishes you success in your efforts and endeavours.
We are overwhelmed with joy to witness the Aspire Academy create glory and strike at the roots of heritage. It recently succeeded, thanks to the efforts of its leaders, in granting the State of Qatar a valuable sports achievement: our U-19 National Team, who are graduates of this academy, won the Asian Football Confederation U-19 Championship. Now, the Academy is hosting this international and diverse gathering of leaders and decision-makers, united by their faith in sports as a tool to achieve social progress and economic development.
The success the Doha GOALS Forum has displayed in going global in record time makes us proud to witness the strategic national vision of our country. Sports are central to Qatar, which you can see through the investments our country has made in anything that establishes the right atmosphere for fair competition, healthy and safe living, and unique hospitality for those who visit Doha for this lofty cause.
The distinct presence of your highnesses and excellencies in this forum reflects the value of initiatives borne from sports to your nations, as well as the stunning stories of success circulating in the media about people who have succeeded, thanks to sports, in becoming national heroes. These individuals bring pride to their peoples and countries, and are globally loved characters who provide hope and instill confidence in every person reaching toward change for the better
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The State of Qatar, which you have always known as an ambassador of love and peace to bring the perspectives of political opponents and clashing ethnic groups closer together, is happy to have picked sports as a tool to serve this purpose. Our vision of sport surpasses that of entertaining game watched by spectators; we consider sports an important, constructive tool capable of creating a sophisticated society and embracing the spirit of justice, fair competition, friendship, coexistence, broad horizons, healthy bodies, discipline, and punctuality.
The initiatives you will be discussing, both those noted in the forum schedule or which arise during the workshops, involve prominent issues closely tied to the bettering of society and breaking down artificial boundaries built by man against man out of greed or oppression. This is your chance to uphold humanity, and fill it with hope through sports.
This forum and the resulting positive outcomes and charity work will inevitably benefit all humanity. They will pave the way once more for Doha to express the extent of its admiration of different nations and peoples for their support of Qatari sport, supporting their bids to organise international sports events, and guaranteeing peaceful choices that support peoples’ rights to freedom and healthy living.
Esteemed guests,
I would like to end my speech, which I have intentionally kept brief, to make way for experts and leaders to carry on with their programs. I trust in their capabilities, pray for their success, and appreciate the valuable efforts they have made which will undoubtedly lead this convention to success.
I wish you all a pleasant stay in Qatar.
May peace and mercy of Allah be upon you.