03 Mar 2016
Doha, 3 March 2016. A high-profile delegation of officials from Denmark, led by HRH Prince Frederick, the Crown Prince of Denmark, and HH Princess Mary, the Crown Princess of Denmark, and including a number of Danish Ministers, Members of Cabinet and the Danish Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, visited Aspire Academy on Wednesday, March 2.
The delegation was welcomed by Mr. Ivan Bravo, Director General of Aspire Academy, Mr. Ali Salem Afifa, Deputy Director General of Aspire Academy, Mr. Abdullah Nasser Al Naimi, Director General of Aspire Logistics, and other members of senior management.
During a comprehensive tour of the Academy’s facilities, the delegation learned about the educational and training programmes the Academy provides for its students, in support of Qatar’s future generation of elite athletes. Officials from the Academy also presented an overview of its history and the significant progress it has achieved in the fields of sports education and sports science. Officials from the delegation and the Academy also discussed opportunities for potential future collaboration. During the course of the visit, the delegation also attended a presentation by Danish football star Ebbe Sand that discussed concepts for utilising sport in the promotion of green energy and sustainability.
The delegation also met with members of the Aalborg BK youth football team and its staff, who participated in the latest Aspire Academy Tri-Series tournament of the 2015-2016 season. The Tri-Series tournament is a unique competition that brings together youth teams from Aspire Academy with those from some of the world’s most successful and well-known clubs, exposing the Academy’s youth teams to different playing styles, management philosophies and tactics from around the globe in an effort to complement the development of their talent and potential.
At the conclusion of the visit, Mr. Ivan Bravo, Director General of Aspire Academy, presented the Crown Prince and Princess with an Aspire Academy plaque to thank their Highnesses for their visit. From their side, the Crown Prince and Princess expressed how impressed they were with the programmes and philosophy of Aspire Academy, which aim to build a future generation of elite athletes through combining academics and sports under one roof. Their Highnesses concluded by thanking Aspire Academy for its warm and generous hospitality.