6 days Ago
Doha: As part of its ongoing 20th anniversary celebrations, Aspire Academy organised the Aspire, Inspire Forum for its employees yesterday. The Corporate Services team organised the event to honour and recognise the remarkable achievements of the Academy’s employees as well as the institution’s legacy in sports, education, and innovation. The forum served as a platform to reflect on two decades of excellence and to celebrate the collective contributions of staff, students, and alumni to Aspire Academy’s journey.
The Aspire, Inspire Forum provided Aspire Academy employees with the unique opportunity to gain insights into the Academy’s groundbreaking work across several key areas, including education, student care, and elite sports programs. The event also featured inspiring stories from some of the Academy’s distinguished alumni athletes, emphasising the Academy’s critical role in shaping Qatar’s sporting landscape. “This is a wonderful milestone.
It’s been a great opportunity and a privilege to be part of what, in reality, is just the start for this incredible institution. We appreciate honour and respect the past, but we understand and accept that we can’t change it, but we can use it to shape the future,” Aspire Academy’s Director General Ivan Bravo said in his opening remarks. The forum focused on Aspire’s comprehensive football program, with presentations from the three main football departments: Football Administration, Football Performance and Science, and the Technical Department.
Professor Valter Di Salvo, Director of Football Performance and Science, stated:”With the incredible contributions of everyone involved, we have aligned the concept of football performance at the Academy with the vision of the nation. Building on this foundation, we set our sights on making a global impact, which led to the launch of our international initiative, Aspire in the World Fellows. Aspire Academy’s Deputy Director General Ali Salem Afifa, Marketing and Communications Director Al Anoud Al Misnad, Education and Student Affairs Director Badr El Hay and Leadership Development Program Coordinator Salah Al Yafii also spoke during the forum.
A highlight of the event was the question-and-answer session with several graduates of the Academy who have excelled in various sports. Abdulla Al Tamimi, the first Qatari squash player to rank among the world’s top 20 in squash, shared the pivotal role Aspire Academy played in shaping his career. Abdulla reflected: “I was here from the very beginning, and it has been an honour to be part of this journey.
Aspire Academy has not only inspired its athletes but also its teachers and coaches. The relationships we built with them felt more like those of a father and son.” Meanwhile, swimmer Mohammed Al Mahmoud, a 2022 graduate and multiple Qatari national record holder, shared a touching message saying: “The most important thing I learnt at Aspire Academy was that you either win or learn”, so losing is not a word I use now.
” The panel included several contributions from other Aspire Academy graduates and student-athletes, such as Owaab Barrow, a 2020 graduate and gold medallist in the 110m hurdles at the 2018 Youth Olympics, Ali Turki, a 2017 graduate and accomplished fencer with regional medals, Mohammed Abdulwahhab, another 2017 graduate and multiple gold medallist in the Arab Table Tennis Championships and Abdulrahman Alyafei, a Grade 11 student and one of Aspire’s first padel athletes, also shared their insights..
