General and Specific Motor Skills Assessed in one of the Most Comprehensive Tests of Young Ability
Doha, Qatar: ASPIRE, the Doha Academy for Sports Excellence, has today conducted the Gold Phase of its Talent Identification Program, the comprehensive testing process that examines the physical, emotional and intellectual capability of students from across Qatar.
Young athletes that emerge successfully from this phase of the program will have out-performed thousands of students and will be eligible for a place at the world-famous academy.
Candidates went through a three-stage testing process - ASPIRE Bronze, ASPIRE Silver, and ASPIRE Gold - with successful students moving through the stages depending on their performance.
In the final Gold phase, the candidates participated in the two day training camp at ASPIRE, which took place yesterday and today, working with a highly qualified team of international coaches from the Academy to find out whether they have the right attributes to train to be professional sportspeople.
This year's edition of the Talent Identification Program is the most sophisticated conducted to date, with specialist sessions focusing on musculoskeletal, physical and motor-skill assessment, as well as dedicated testing sessions on swimming, gymnastics and athletics.
ASPIRE's talent identification is the most far-reaching program of its kind in the Middle East, and data from the study has provided a strong insight into the levels of health and fitness among the youth of Qatar.
Esa Peltola, ASPIRE's Head of Performance Enhancement and Talent Identification, said: "As the range of sports covered by ASPIRE expands, our talent identification process is also evolving to assess a wider range of competencies. The participants all performed to the full extent of their abilities, and we are looking forward to reviewing the data from the Gold Stage."
The talent identification process is an annual event in Qatar, as part of ASPIRE's ongoing mission to unearth new talent in the region. ASPIRE also offers scholarships to talented student-athletes from around the world.
The program encourages students at all levels of ability to take a greater interest in sport and physical exercise.
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About ASPIRE
ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence in Doha was created in 2004 with the dual aims of identifying and transforming promising student athletes into world-renowned champions across a wide range of sports and to act as a beacon to draw sporting culture into the center of life in Qatar and the surrounding region.
The Academy is distinguished by a philosophy which aims to develop the student as a whole, providing them with full academic, social and sporting development.
Unrivaled facilities, housed in and around the world's largest purpose built indoor sports dome, ensure the Academy's reputation as one of the foremost sporting and educational institutions in the entire international community, enticing an ever-increasing number of visitors and users, from sporting legends to global political leaders.
Every aspect of the development of elite athletes is catered for by one indoor and seven outdoor football pitches, athletics tracks, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving pool, combat arenas, gymnastics arena, specially designed weight rooms, lecture halls, dormitories to accommodate what will eventually become 1,000 students, a medical center and many more facilities.
The ASPIRE ACTIVE programs and the work of Talent Centers spread across the country ensure that thousands of the nation's residents now have accessible and advanced health and fitness activities as routine aspects of their lives. Each social group is catered for by tailor-made classes and programs.
As of 2007, the ASPIRE Africa. Football Dreams project has tested over 600,000 young Africans from seven nations as part of the biggest-ever talent search in the sport. The top three footballers will be awarded full scholarships to study at the Academy alongside their Qatari classmates. First and foremost, ASPIRE is a place for those who dare to dream.
© Press Release 2008
