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