02.12.2008
Qatar Names Chairman of Doha 2016 Bid Committee
His Highness The Heir Apparent Sheikh Tameem Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani has appointed leading Qatari businessman, Hassan Ali Bin Ali as Chairman of the Olympic and Paralympic Bid Committee for Doha 2016.
July 2007 His Highness The Heir Apparent Sheikh Tameem Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani has appointed leading Qatari businessman, Hassan Ali Bin Ali as Chairman of the Olympic and Paralympic Bid Committee for Doha 2016. “It was His Highness’ original vision that is the inspiration behind the Bid,” says Hassan. The formal launch of the Bid will take place in Doha in September when further details will be announced and the specially designed Doha 2016 Olympic logo will be unveiled.
This is the first time that a country from the Middle East has entered the race to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Hassan Ali Bin Ali believes that this is a turning point for the region. “Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Doha in 2016 would bring the Olympic flame to the Arab speaking world for the first time. The people of Qatar would be honoured to play a part in bringing the Olympic ideals to millions of new hearts and minds. Awarding the Games to Doha could, through sport, create hope, understanding and produce a change that would unite the entire region with the rest of the world.”
Qatar already has an impressive sporting pedigree. Doha hosted the 2006 Asian Games putting on what has been described as the biggest, most widely reported and most successful Games ever. They have already hosted some of the world’s most prestigious sporting events and have been chosen to host the 2011 Asia Football Cup.
Hassan Ali Bin Ali believes that Doha is setting new standards in sport. “We already have a world class sporting infrastructure. The ASPIRE Academy and Khalifa stadium were acknowledged to be among the best in the world in a global contest organised by the International Association for Sports Leisure Facilities and sponsored by the IOC. If we had the honour to host the Games in 2016 we would produce an unprecedented sporting spectacle.”
Hassan Ali Bin Ali is one of Qatar’s leading businessmen. His father, Ali Bin Ali, started trading in the early days of oil and gas exploration – building his business from nothing to become one of the most successful enterprises in the region today.
Hassan was educated in Doha, Beirut and London. “I was one of the first Qataris to be educated abroad. My father wanted me to gain a fresh perspective on the world. He didn’t just want me to see more of the world but to play a part in bringing people together. Doha’s central geographic location makes it easy for people from all over the world to travel here to experience traditional Arab hospitality. We believe we are ideally placed to create a bridge between the Arab countries and the rest of the world. ”
Apart from being a businessman, Hassan Ali Bin Ali, has also been instrumental in setting up the Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs. This is one of the world’s leading educational, care and research centres for children with special needs. Hassan is also a driving force in providing sporting facilities for athletes with disabilities in Qatar through his role as Vice-Chairman of the Qatar Sport Federation for Special Needs. Hassan is also the founder of the Qatar Tennis and Squash Federation.
A spectacular launch of the Bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place in Doha in September 2007. At the event the logo and key themes of the Doha 2016 Bid will be unveiled. Full details of the launch will be announced on an initial Doha 2016 website before the end of August 2007. The full Doha 2016 website will be launched in October.
The Chairman has appointed several international consultants to support the Bid process including Helios Partners (www.heliospartners.com), Burson-Marsteller (www.bm.com), Vero Communications/Mike Lee (www.verocom.co.uk), Clifford Chance Limited Liability Partnership (www.cliffordchance.com), Andrew Craig of The Craig Company and Erwin Roth of SBV. Together they have worked within the Olympic Movement with Candidate Cities, TOP sponsors and the Olympic Family for over 3 decades.
Note to Editors:
Mr. Ali Bin Ali will be available to answer detailed questions concerning the Doha 2016 Bid after the formal launch event.
About Helios Partners
Helios Partners is an international sports marketing and sponsorship agency with unique experience in and passion for the Olympic Games. Helios and its principals worked on the Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 winning Olympic bids. Helios also brings unparalleled sponsorship and event marketing expertise, an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Olympic Movement and sponsorship and an ability to understand and translate to clients brand objectives into marketing programmes.
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and public affairs firm. We provide our clients with strategic thinking and programme execution across a complete range of public relations, public affairs, advertising and other communications services. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 58 wholly-owned offices and 45 affiliate offices, together operating in 59 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP Group plc (NASDQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.
About Vero Communications/Mike Lee
VERO was established in January 2006 by Mike Lee OBE, former Director of Communications and Public Affairs for London’s successful 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid. It offers a narrative-based and campaigning approach to all internal and external relations and brand building. It has worked with a wide variety of organisations including Doha 2016, England & Wales Cricket Board, Glasgow 2014, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Liverpool FC, Premier Rugby Ltd, Salzburg 2014, Setanta Sports, Siemens, Sport England, UEFA, UK Athletics, UK Sport, Virgin Atlantic, Visit Britain and West Ham United FC.
About Clifford Chance Limited Liability Partnership
Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise. The firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources across the three key markets of the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East and focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax; pensions and employment; litigation and dispute resolution. Clifford Chance has 27 offices in 20 countries and 3,800 legal advisers. The firm has a well regarded Sports Industry Group which is regularly involved in high profile sporting events, facilities and transactions.
About The Craig Company
The Craig Company LLC provides consulting services to international sports organizations and to corporations involved in the world of sport. Best known for its recent work on the successful Olympic bids by Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 2014, the company also advises on TV and marketing rights acquisition strategies for corporate clients and on business strategy for international sports federations.
About Erwin Roth/SBV
Roth Strategy was founded in 1979, and Roth has served for a number of companies as CEO and President thus combining consulting know-how with full operational know-how. Even though Roth has worked for various clients of different backgrounds and lines of business, he has vast experience in the field of major sports events. Since 1980, as publisher of “pro Sport” Roth has released over one hundred book titles, including technical reports, bid documents, documentaries on Olympic Winter and Summer Games and FIFA World Cups. The most comprehensive work on the Olympic Games, “The Olympic Games of the Modern Era 1896 – present”, comprised of more than 3,500 pages to date, is considered as the standard work on Olympic Games. Roth is a combination of vast theoretical knowledge and hands-on operational skills.
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