Q Life Magazine Q Magazine December 2017 | Page 52
| Issue 3
inches). This follows consistently strong performances
at various athletics championships, including the
country’s first-ever silver medal at the Rio Olympics in
the summer of 2016, as well as winning gold at the 2016
Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, held in Qatar.
His performance in the forthcoming 2019 IAAF World
Championship is much anticipated.
Abdulla Al-Tamimi is another major success story from
Aspire Academy. He has impressed on the international
stage in a number of squash championships reaching
the final rounds of a number of different tournaments –
from the Guilfoyle Financial PSA Classic and the NASH
Cup, to the AnyPresence Open and the Qatar Classic
Squash Championship, amongst others.
Creating impact on a global scale
Argentinian star Lionel Messi and Brazilian football
legend Pelé have represented Aspire Academy to the
world as Global Ambassadors. Al Sadd favourite
and former FC Barcelona midfielder and Spanish
national team player Xavi Hernandez is currently
a Global Ambassador for Aspire Academy. Former
captain of the Spanish national team and one
of Real Madrid’s all-time top goalscorers Raul
Gonzalez Blanco was also an advisor to the Academy.
Describing the Academy, Xavi has said: “Aspire
Academy is a magnificent project and I am happy that
my family and I are going to be able to work there.”
Supporting the development of the game
around the world
In June, Aspire Academy and Delhi Dynamos FC
signed a ground-breaking partnership to develop
and shape the future of the Indian Super League.
The exclusive technical partnership means the Academy
is working together with the ISL giants to raise the
quality of football development in India.
As part of the agreement, Aspire Academy is sending
coaches, talent scouts and analysts to Delhi, to help
develop existing talent and promote best practice
in training, development and scouting for the club’s
teams and different youth development programmes.
| Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi
52