Qatar to Host MENA’s First WASM Congress in 2022

27 Jul 2020

Joint effort between QU and HBKU

Qatar to Host MENA's First WASM Congress in 2022

Qatar will become the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to host the Congress of World Association of Sport Management (WASM) after successfully winning the right to host the event in March 2022, the official Qatar News Agency has reported.

The successful bid to host the 2022 WASM Congress in Qatar was a joint effort between Qatar University and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation.

Hosting the event would be another milestone for Qatar in preparation for hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, QU said in a statement Saturday.

The successful joint effort was supported by a memorandum of understanding between QU and QF, which focuses on strengthening cross-institutional collaborations in student learning activities, teaching and in the field of research.

The WASM 2022 Congress in Qatar will be an opportunity to promote education, research and publications in the multi-disciplinary area of sport management in Qatar and in the region, including sport governance, sport policy and strategy, sport marketing, sport and event management, to name but a few. Moreover, it will contribute to bridging between academia, sport government bodies and sport industry, and to make an impact in terms of knowledge sharing as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup legacy project in the region and beyond, the statement notes.

Dr Othman Mohamed al-Thawadi, Dr Ahmed al-Emadi
Dr. Othman Mohamed al-Thawadi, Dr. Ahmed al-Emadi

Dr Mahfoud Amara, Dr Kamilla Swart-Arries
Dr. Mahfoud Amara, Dr. Kamilla Swart-Arries

The joint bidding team members are Dr Kamilla Swart-Arries, associate professor in Sport Management at the College of Science and Engineering, from HBKU, and Dr Ahmed al-Emadi, professor in Sport Management and dean of the College of Education; Dr Othman Mohamed al-Thawadi, assistant professor in marketing at the College of Business and Economics; and Dr Mahfoud Amara, associate professor in Sport Policy and Management and director of the Sport Science Programme, College of Arts and Sciences, from Qatar University.

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) represented by Josoor Institute, and Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) represented by Qatar Olympic Academy, supported the bid.

The last World Association for Sport Management Conference was held at the Universidad Santo Tomas in Santiago de Chile in 2019 and attracted 150 delegates from over 40 countries. Hosting the congress in Qatar in 2022 “will for sure attract more international delegates of academics and professionals in sport management to participate in the congress, and to have a close look at Qatar’s preparation for the mega event”, the QU statement adds
WASM president Dr Karen Danylchuk said, “This is the first time that the WASM Congress, held every two to three years since its inception in 2012, will be held in the Middle East. Our previous three conferences in Madrid, Spain (2014), Kaunas, Lithuania (2017), and Santiago, Chile (2019) attracted leading sport management academicians, students and industry leaders from over 40 countries, and we are confident that the conference in Doha will prove to be another outstanding success.

“We look forward to working with the local organisers over the next two years in serving our mission to facilitate sport management research and teaching and learning excellence worldwide.”

QU president Dr Hassan Rashid al-Dirham said, “The WASM Congress represents an important opportunity to bring together scholars and specialists of sport management and the business of sport to Doha, the capital of sport, a few months before the 2022 FIFA World Cup. For Qatar University, it is an occasion to contribute to the dissemination of knowledge with the participation of local and international experts and to showcase Qatar University’s contribution in research and development around the planning and management of the mega sport event.”

HBKU president Dr Ahmad M Hasnah emphasised the importance of the WASM 2022 Congress in Qatar, “ As a member of Qatar Foundation, HBKU is steadfastly committed to supporting Qatar as the country makes its mark in the global sporting arena. The sporting industry is pivotal in fostering health and overall well-being in society, and our recently introduced multidisciplinary academic programmes are designed to promote scholarship and education, build in-demand skills and leverage national aspirations for promoting health and well-being through sports in key sectors.”

The strategic partners of the 2022 WASM Congress are: Qatar Olympic Academy/QOC, Josoor Institute/SC and QNTC.

WASM is an alliance of regional associations of sport management. Its mission is to facilitate sport management research, teaching and learning excellence and professional practice, as well as to provide a forum for the international perspective on sport management.