By Duncan Mackay at the Main Press Centre in Incheon

A deal to train Asian officials in Doha has been signed between the QOC and OCA ©Qatar Olympic AcademyA deal has been signed here for coaches, referees and officials from across Asia to be trained at the Qatar Olympic Academy (QOA) in Doha, it has been announced.


The agreement was signed between the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) at a special ceremony attended by a representative from each of the 45 countries currently taking part in the Asian Games.

Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, President of the OCA, also attended the event. 

Under the Protocol of Cooperation agreed between Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, secretary general and chief executive of the QOC, and Randhir Singh, the OCA's secretary general, the QOA will provide academic and technical training sessions for officials from across Asia. 

Founded in 2006, the QOA is a member of the International Olympic Academy and claims to offer high-quality professional education programmes to develop and enrich national and regional sport leaders, managers and coaches and to help them lead in sports and the Olympic Movement.

Among the Olympic and international officials already educated at the QOA are Mohamed Al Kamail, acting secretary general of the ‪United Arab Emirates National Olympic Committee, and Ahmed Al Sherif, secretary general of the Dubai Sports Council.

"Through its meticulous planning and strategic growth, the Qatar Olympic Academy will become a beacon of sport education regionally and internationally," said Sheikh Saoud, President of the QOA.

"The Academy offers unique courses and programmes to further advance sport professionals and will elevate educational standard in this field throughout the region.

"It is an honour to sign this agreement with the OCA and we look forward to continuing to further the development of sport regionally and internationally."

The Qatar Olympic Academy claims to offer some of the highest-quality academic and technical training for sports officials in the world ©Qatar Olympic AcademyThe Qatar Olympic Academy claims to offer some of the highest-quality academic and technical training for sports officials in the world ©Qatar Olympic Academy

The new agreement coincided with the Qatar Medical Committee and the Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital being awarded the Sheikh Ahmed Al Fahad Hiroshima Asia Fund Science Award here.

Aspetar is one of the world's leading specialised orthopedic and sports medicine hospitals and in 2009 was officially accredited as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence.

Last  year Aspetar became the first Gulf Reference Centre Sports Medicine Reference Centre in the Middle East, while earlier this month it's laboratory was accredited by the College of American Pathologists.

"Aspetar is an invaluable resource to the region's athletes and has continued to distinguish itself as world-class facility year after year," said Sheikh Saoud. 

"The Sheikh Ahmed Al Fahad Hiroshima Asia Fund Science Award is an honour for Qatar and illuminates its unwavering commitment to excelling in every aspect of sports."

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