29 Oct 2019
Doha, 29 October 2019. From November 5 to 7, 2019 Aspire Academy is hosting the 4th Association of Sports Institutes in Asia (ASIA) Congress that will bring together the leading international and regional sports performance practitioners to share insights and spark discussions on considerations in Youth Athlete Development, developing high performance environments and the implementation of sports technology, research and innovation into performance programs.
“As Asia continues to make history in the sporting arena, it is timely that we encourage discussions and sharing around the development of a high performance environment for aspiring athletes and the program of this congress should stimulate new ideas as well as time to reflect on pertinent issues such as transitioning athletes from youth to senior level,” says Ali Salem Afifa, Chairman of the 4th ASIA Congress and Deputy Director General of Aspire Academy.
“ASIA was founded in 2015 with the vision to build a vibrant and active community of sports institutes by combining forces between its member organizations. What lies at the centre of ASIA’s endeavours? I think it has to be the support of our athletes in their quest to reach the top of their potential. Some of our athletes are competing with the world’s best in their fields. For elite-athletes, the journey to the top is extremely challenging and it demands a lot, including relentless focus, commitment and incredibly hard work. High-performing sports institutes are aware of that and they adapt their way of working and their organizational culture to the needs of their top-athletes. I am hoping for a similar spirit during this Congress,” says Markus Egger, Director of Sport and Strategy at Aspire Academy.
The program of the Congress includes panel and group discussions that are going to take place on November 5 and 6. Besides international speakers from the US, United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia, the event also features speakers from Aspire Academy, the event hosts. Furthermore, there is going to be a very interesting panel discussion on the topic “Transitioning athletes from Youth to Senior” on Monday featuring two successful graduates of Aspire Academy, Squash player and World No. 46 Abdulla Al-Tamimi as well as track-and-field athlete and 2019 Asian Games 800m champion Abubaker Haydar and also to include Qatar Football National Coach Felix Sanchez and squash coach and former World No. 1 Geoff Hunt.
The Association of Sports Institutes in Asia (ASIA) is a non-profit-making non-government organization and is a representative body of high-performance sports institutes in Asia. The Association envisions a vibrant and active community of all Asian countries, collaborating towards a stronger sporting Asia performance based on sound practices, with respect and openness. ASIA seeks to make connections with Asian countries on the foundation of high-performance development to support the sporting ambitions of each member. ASIA has currently 15 members including its founders Aspire Academy, the Japan Sports Council, Singapore Sports Institute and Hong Kong Sports Institute.
The objectives of ASIA are to set up a platform for sharing and exchanging knowledge and expertise in relation to high performance training, to cooperatively develop and enhance the quality, function, management, and operation of high performance institutes that will directly and indirectly influence the development of athletes, coaches, sports scientists and support staff, to foster the engagement and development of human resources who actively deliver services in the specific fields of high performance sport, so as to innovate practice and enhance the quality of program and service-delivery; and to demonstrate leadership and presence in raising the profile of high performance institutes of Asia both regionally and internationally by developing and operating collaborative activities.
Find out more on sportasia.org