Doha GOALS—Gathering of All Leaders In Sport—is an initiative designed as a "call to action" for the role that sport plays as a driver for social and economic change.
The initiative, from the Aspire Zone Foundation and Richard Attias & Associates, will build a community of global influencers from all industries who believe that sport is a crucial vehicle for social and economic development.
The launch of Doha GOALS at Bayt Qatar during the London 2012 games was attended by President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and Olympic athletes including Carl Lewis, Tegla Loroupe, Marie-José Pérec and Ian Thorpe.
He graduated with a degree in political science from American University, Washington, D.C., and was the president of Al Arabi Sports Club 2006–2008.
H. E. Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani is the Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee and the vice-president of the International Fencing Federation.
This new initiative has been welcomed by FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and the UN Human Rights Commission, as well as high-profile leaders such as African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, former US vice-president Al Gore, and former South African presidents Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk.