Barcelona team pose for a photograph with six-year-old Afghan boy Murtaza Ahmadi and other kids before their match against Al Ahli in Doha.
Save the Dream - an initiative of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) with the support of Ooredoo – joined forces with Qatar Airways to celebrate its ongoing partnership and called on fans and people across Qatar to play sport and use it as tool to promote humanity.
During the match, which saw FC Barcelona win the Qatar Airways Cup by beating Al Ahli Saudi FC 5-3, Save the Dream and Qatar Airways hosted a range of activities involving young people from across Qatar to promote the message of ‘Sport for Humanity’.
Activities included young children meeting and entering the stadium with their footballing heroes, as well as a halftime video which told the story of the young refugee who finds hope and meets other young people through the power of football.
Speaking on the side-lines of the match, Mohammed Hanzab, ICSS President and Founder of Save the Dream said, “The match between FC Barcelona and Al Ahli Saudi FC was a powerful example of how sport can unite people and bring different cultures and communities together.
“What we have seen on the field and in the stands at the ‘Match of Champions’ is a real-life example of Sport for Humanity and this, as well as the many other activities Save the Dream has conducted around the world this year, could not have happened without the ongoing support of Qatar Airways and our other local partners throughout 2016.
“As founder of Save the Dream, I would like to thank Qatar Airways, as well as other partners, for their continuous support of Save the Dream’s mission promoting and protecting the positive values of sport in young people and being an integral part of our programs.”
As a result of the support received from Qatar Airways and as part of its ongoing efforts to protect and promote the values of sport in young people, Save the Dream has conducted a range of projects this year to encourage young people around the world to play sport, including in India, Haiti, Brazil, Italy and Qatar to name a few.
As it looks to build on these activities in 2017, Save the Dream will aim to build support of its sport for humanity programs - which will aim to help children living in areas affected by the long-standing conflicts through various sporting activities.
In particular, Save the Dream with its partners will look to establish safe spaces where children and young people can meet, share experiences and play sport with a view to build strong friendships and community solidarity. Save the Dream will also look to work in communities to detect, locate and train the refugee kids that have no access to education.
