Dubai: The organisers of the Fifth International Sport Versus Crime Conference have promised to bring in more high-profile sports personalities when the next edition is held from January 26-28, 2015.
The fourth edition of the conference, organised by Dubai Police in November 2013, had famous sprinter Ben Johnson and legendary footballer Diego Maradona participating and sharing their experiences in sport. The interest in the annual event was huge, with dignitaries from more than 30 countries participating and sharing their views on the central theme of ‘Protection from crime and combating it”.
The next edition of the popular conference was announced at the Dubai Police General Headquarters on Monday with organisers planning to make the next conference even bigger and better by inviting some more famous personalities from the sporting field in keeping with the main theme ‘Sports without Delinquency’.
“The interest in the next edition has been huge and we have been narrowing down on bringing at least two key sports personalities in keeping with the theme of the conference,” Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Dubai Police Chief, told Gulf News.
A special screening committee has already been working on evaluating research summaries and papers forwarded by researchers from the Arab world and other parts of the globe.
“We already have more than 100 delegates who have confirmed their participation for the next edition in January. This not only shows the huge impact this conference has had, but also the interest it holds among countries around the world. We still have four months, and we have already started sending out invitations to some key sports personalities. We will know who these sportsmen are in due course of time,” he added.
Major General Al Mazeina also awarded a special token of appreciation to Saeed Al Mansouri and Sameh Habib of Medialand for their sponsorship of the annual conference. “It is very important for us to have the private sector co-operating with the government in such conferences as the impact of these events spread out to the entire society,” Maj Gen Al Mazeina said.
“We have made a good start and I wish the sponsors and partners all the best as we once again strive to lead the rest of the world by organising such a conference,” he added.
The Fifth International Sport Versus Crime Conference 2015 will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council.
