Acting Chief Administrative Officer of Aspetar, Khalid Ali Al Mawlawi and First Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, Maksim Ryzhenkov having a discussion during the later's visit to the Aspire Zone.
A high-level delegation which took part in the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) assembly in Doha, was welcomed in Aspire Zone and taken on a tour of its venues, including Aspire Academy, Aspetar, Khalifa International Stadium, Hamad Aquatic Centre and the Torch Hotel.
The delegation, represented by the First Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus, Maksim Ryzhenkov, and the Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Belarus, Vitaly Mirutko, were greeted by several officials from Aspire Zone, including the Director General of Aspire Logistics, Abdullah Nasser Al Naimi, the Deputy Director General of Aspire Academy, Ali Salem Afifa, Acting Chief Administrative Officer of Aspetar, Khalid Ali Al Mawlawi and the Director of PR and Communications of Aspire Zone, Nasser Abdullah Al Hajri.
Commenting on the occasion, Acting Chief Administrative Officer of Aspetar, Al Mawlawi, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Maksim Ryzhenkov for the second time in Aspetar. During his first visit we introduced him to Aspetar’s facilities and briefed him on our services. Our hope is that this visit serves as a stepping stone for potential cooperation between us, as Aspetar and the National Olympic Committee are currently in discussions around signing a Memorandum of Understanding to provide medical services to Belarusian athletes.”
Ryzhenkov said: “The main purpose of my second visit is to improve cooperation with Aspire Zone. I was very impressed by Aspetar when I first visited and have shared what I learned about its facilities and services with our specialists in Belarus, who found Aspetar to be very progressive. As such, we believe it would be a great opportunity for the National Olympic Committee of Belarus and Aspetar to develop an agreement that allows Aspetar to provide rehabilitation programmes for our athletes.”
Meanwhile in Aspire Academy, Ryzhenkov was taken on a tour by the Director General of Aspire Logistics, Abdullah Nasser Al Naimi, and the Deputy Director General of Aspire Academy, Ali Salem Afifa. After the visit, Ryzhenkov met with Aspire Academy Director General, Ivan Bravo to discuss bilateral relations in sports development.
Commenting on this, Ryzhenkov, said: “Aspire Academy’s philosophy of combining sports training and education is worthy of note. My visit here aims to discuss possible cooperation agreements between Aspire Academy and six Belarusian sports academies, specialising in various sports.”
He concluded his speech by praising the efforts Qatar has taken to establish itself as a sporting leader in the region, saying: “The work being carried out in Aspire Zone and its member organisations is impressive. Qatar has taken significant steps to develop its sports and medical infrastructure.”
This follows a series of visits by VIP delegates participating in the ANOC assembly, comprised of the International Olympic Committee Vice President and President of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey, Prof. Ugur Erdener, the CEO of the Los Angeles 2024 Olympic bid, Gene Sykes, Vice Chairman of the Budapest 2024 Olympic bid, Gusztav Bienerth, and the Director of Sport and Venues of the Budapest 2024 Olympic bid, Attila Mizser.
International Olympic Association Vice President, and President of the National Olympic Committee of Turkey, Prof. Ugur Erdener, visited Aspetar and Aspire Academy last Wednesday.
Prof. Erdener praised Aspetar and said: “I’m very happy to have the opportunity to join my fellow scientists in Aspetar in this impressive visit. Aspetar, a research partner of the IOC, has provided significant research contributions to the field of sports medicine, and I’m glad for being able to experience the hospital first-hand.”
