Jeddah: Australia’s national football team, the Socceroos, have kicked off Expo 2020 Dubai’s celebration of the Year of Tolerance in 2019 with a friendly crossbar challenge to demonstrate the power of unity, tolerance and cooperation found in sports.
Playing with Expo 2020 team members and volunteers from different nationalities on the Australia Pavilion plot, located in Expo’s Mobility District, the Socceroos were joined by representatives from the Football Federation Australia and Justin McGowan, Australia’s Commissioner General for Expo 2020 Dubai.
The initiative comes days before the Socceroos are set to compete in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, which will take place in the UAE and will be the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
Also invited to participate were AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 community ambassadors, known as ‘Playmakers’, and students from the Victoria International School of Sharjah (VISS).
Maha Al Gargawi, Director, International Participants at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Expo 2020 Dubai will bring together millions of people from a range of backgrounds and cultures to connect and have fun together – just as sport can do. Today is a clear example of what can be achieved when people of different ages and nationalities come together, and is the perfect way to kick off Expo 2020’s celebration of the Year of Tolerance.”
Justin McGowan said: “Australia looks forward to supporting the UAE as it kicks off 2019 as the Year of Tolerance. There is no better example of tolerance in action than on the sporting field, where players regardless of background, culture or religion, can take part. We are pleased to support the UAE in delivering the truly global mega event that is Expo 2020.”
Expo 2020 Dubai strongly supports the Year of Tolerance theme for 2019 and will showcase the inclusive and diverse nature of the UAE to the world. A total of 190 countries have already confirmed their participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, one of the highest totals ever for a World Expo.
The UAE’s Year of Tolerance is also reflected in Expo 2020’s theme, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, which aims to bring together people who may otherwise not connect, to foster more meaningful dialogue and solutions to shared global problems.
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About Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai is guided by the belief that innovation and progress are the result of people and ideas combining in new ways. For six months from 20 October, 2020, Expo will bring together 190 countries and millions of people to celebrate human ingenuity: ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
- During the six months from 20 October, 2020 to 10 April, 2021, we expect to welcome 25 million visits
- About 70 per cent of all visitors are anticipated to come from outside the UAE – the largest proportion of international visitors in Expo history
- We aim to create and deliver an inclusive and global Expo with more than 200 participants, including nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and educational institutions
- Expo 2020 also has an ambitious volunteer programme, which aims to include more than 30,000 volunteers from a wide range of ages, nationalities, cultures and backgrounds
- The Expo site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area. It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
- Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to take place in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) region
Visit: www.expo2020dubai.com
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About World Expos
In 1851 the Crystal Palace was the centrepiece of London’s Great Exhibition – the first World Expo. It celebrated the man-made industrial wonders of a rapidly changing world. Architecture, contents and a theme, ‘Industry of All Nations’, were combined to create a big idea of nations meeting nations in shared technological and commercial progress. In more recent years, participants in World Expos, including governments, international organisations and companies, have gathered to find solutions to universal challenges and to promote their achievements, products, ideas, innovations, their national brand, and their nations as destinations for tourism, trade and investment.
World Expos are held under the auspices of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation responsible for overseeing and regulating international exhibitions (‘Expos’) and for fostering their core values of Education, Innovation and Cooperation. Today, four types of Expos are organised under the BIE’s auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano.
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