Newly enrolled students of Aspire Academy attend the Scholarship Ceremony along with their parents at Aspire Academy in Doha on Tuesday.
Doha: Aspire Academy on Tuesday organised its annual Scholarship Ceremony to welcome new joiners enrolling at the Academy for the 2018/2019 season.
With every year, the number of Aspire Academy enrolments continues to increase, with this year seeing more than 90 students joining, compared with 84 last year, marking the Academy’s biggest batch yet.
Their enrolment follows a rigorous scouting process by Aspire Academy’s Talent Identification Department (TID), which tests the physical capabilities and endurance of young boys from local schools across three stages.
Newly enrolled students and their parents were invited to attend the Scholarship Ceremony to learn about the Academy’s methodology, training facilities, programmes and departments.
They were welcomed by Aspire Academy’s senior officials, coaches, councillors, and medical experts. These included: Ali Salem Afifa, Deputy Director General; Edorta Murua, Football Technical Director; Markus Egger, Director of Sport and Strategy; Dr. Antonio Tramullas, Medical Director of the Aspire Medicine Centre; Professor Valter Di Salvo, Director of Football Performance & Science; Tim Cable, Director of Football Science; and Abdulaziz AlJedaia, Manager of Student Affairs Services.
In his welcoming remarks, Afifa said: “These new joiners include some of Qatar’s most promising athletic talent, as identified by our scouting process. As you know, the Academy has produced some of Qatar’s most prominent athletes, including Olympic Champion Mutaz Barshim and Squash player Abdullah Al Tamimi, alongside elite footballers making their mark on the world of football, locally and internationally. Yet Aspire Academy graduates are not only athletes, but also future leaders in medicine, engineering, social sciences and beyond. This is all part of Aspire Academy’s role to support the Qatar National Vision 2030 and its objectives.”
Addressing the young boys and their parents, Egger said: “11 of our students are scheduled to represent Qatar at the IAAF World U20 championships in Finland in a few weeks. To become the next elite athlete is a special thing but it doesn’t come for free - it requires a lot of work and dedication, as well as a commitment to excellence from everyone involved. ”
Murua, said: “As coaches, we need to learn how to reach the players, so the learning process is a two-way street. Some of our student-athletes not only engage in the development process, but also sometimes even lead discussions..”
During the Ceremony, several Aspire Academy graduates and current student-athletes took part in a panel discussion to share their experiences at the Academy. Panellists included squash player Abdullah Al Tamimi, currently ranked 33rd in the world; Table tennis player German Shemet; and current student-athlete specialising in athletics, Saleh Bashraheel.
Al Tamimi, said: “If it wasn’t for Aspire, I wouldn’t be where I am today, speaking on this panel. We spent a lot of time here, going on many training camps and competitions. The coaches, academic councillors and teachers were always supportive, and have taught us valuable life skills that we still carry with us.”
