Balance of Education and Athletic Development Provide Firm Foundation for ASPIRE Students
Doha, Qatar: Parents and future students of ASPIRE, The Academy for Sports Excellence, met this week to learn more about life and academic expectations at one of the world's most advanced sporting and educational facilities.
The students, who emerged as the most successful participants in ASPIRE's intensive talent identification programme, will make up the new intake of ASPIRE students.
ASPIRE's rigorous assessment and selection process has taken place in schools and athletic clubs across Qatar, and the successful pupils have now been offered a full scholarship at the Academy.
Prospective student athletes, accompanied by their parents, were invited to an evening at ASPIRE to learn more about the unique learning environment on offer. ASPIRE provides one of the most advanced balances of athletic development and education offered anywhere in the world, supported by Olympic level facilities.Senior ASPIRE executives addressing the assembled parents included Prof. Dr. Dieter Hackfort, Dean; Dr. Andreas Bleicher, Sports Director; and Bader Al Haj, Principal. There was also an opportunity to meet Ahmad Hawafdeh, the nominated parents' representative.
Prof. Dr. Dieter Hackfort, Dean, ASPIRE said: "Parents play a key role in the success of student athletes at ASPIRE, so it is very important that we involve them in our efforts. It is also a good opportunity to explain the wider social and sporting ambitions of ASPIRE, and to explain the perspectives that we have for our students' performance in sports, the academic education, and personal development."
One of the highlights of the event was a presentation on a "day in the life" of an ASPIRE student, showing the mix of lessons, training and recreational activity that the young athletes can expect. Student athletes will attend the Academy full-time, and - as well as an advanced teaching programme - will have the opportunity to specialize in the sport that best fits their ability, ranging from football, athletics, table tennis, through to squash, tennis and sailing.
The discussion that followed enabled parents to learn about the high quality of education and social support offered at ASPIRE, as well the care and attention that is paid to all aspects of the student athletes' development while studying at ASPIRE.
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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
