Dubai’s example needs to be followed, says Dubai Sports Council chief

Dubai: One of the top officials involved in this week’s Peace and Sport Forum has held up Dubai as a prime example of a peaceful, multi-cultural society.

The city will host a plethora of top athletes and politicians from around the region and beyond during the conference — which aims to use sport as a means to work towards long-lasting peace around the world — at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel on Tuesday and Wednesday.

And Dr. Ahmad Sa’ad Al Sharif, General Secretary of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), told Gulf News that delegates could benefit from following the host city’s approach.

“Peace is possible. Peace can be a reality, but we need to approach things in the right manner while keeping past experiences in mind,” he said.

“Dubai and the UAE is a prime example of peace and harmony. We have so many different nationalities and cultures residing here in total peace and harmony. For the modern world, Dubai is an example that needs to be followed.”

Dr. Al Sharif also cited the example of so-called “ping-pong diplomacy” as a means of using sport to build peace. The term refers to an incident in the early 1970s that witnessed the exchange of table tennis players between the US and China to mark the thaw in relations between the two nations — and it ultimately paved the way for the first-ever visit of an American President, Richard Nixon, to the communist country.

“I am not saying that we are currenty faced with a similar situation, but that is one example when sport was used as a catalyst to usher in change and we can utilise this same concept now,” Dr. Al Sharif said.

The Peace and Sport Forum organisers have been spreading the word on the event by organising several community-based sports and cultural events. There was a football tournament for eight invited nations, along with table tennis and badminton tournaments earlier in the month.

“The foundations of peace are laid at home when the individual is young. So it is just a matter of going back to our roots and taking a fresh look at priorities,” Dr. Al Sharif added.

Several key political figures from the Middle East have already confirmed their presence at the two-day forum, including Mohammad Tahmi, Minister of Youth and Sports from Algeria; Sergey Nered, Deputy Minister for Sports and Tourism from Belarus; Leon Alfred Opimbat, Minister for Youth and Sports for the Republic of Congo; Mohammad Abbasi, Minister of Youth and Sports for Iran; and Mohammad Ouzzine, Morocco’s Minister of Youth.

The sports side will be led by IOC Vice President and Olympic gold medallist Nawal Al Mutawakel of Morocco, along with African runners Tegla Loroupe and Wilson Kipketer, and the former captain of Palestine’s women’s team Honey Thaljieh.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of DSC, is scheduled to open the forum at 6.30pm on Tuesday in the presence of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Culture.