Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Olympic Committee hosted the second module of the Masters programme in Sports Organisation Management under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee in Doha from January 11–16. The week–long programme involved about 38 students representing 38 countries from around the world.

The IOC’s main objective of the programme is to support Olympic Solidarity among member countries, and Qatar was selected as a host country due to its good reputation on the international sports scene.

The programme is divided into four sections. The first was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, the second took place in Doha, the third is in Malta and the fourth will be in Lausanne in September 2010.

Addressing the participants at the Doha opening session, HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, QOC Secretary General, outlined the programme objectives. He described sports marketing as one of the vital topics in the programme, saying that marketing was now one of the basic elements in sports development.

His Excellency Sheikh Saoud urged participants to apply the valuable information they received from the programme to their working career.

A number of key topics were discussed during the second module, including marketing, the strategic management of sports organisations, applicable marketing plans, brand-usage in sports organisations, sponsorship sales and marketing plan management, as well as workshops in sports health, social marketing and several study cases.

Mr. Tareq Saeed Al Ali, head of technical affairs at QOC, is the sole Qatari student participating in the programme. He submitted a study case on social marketing inside the local community.

Fifteen prominent professors from universities around the world delivered the key lectures in Doha, including Alan Ferrend of Scoula Della Sport in Rome, Italy.

On the sidelines of the programme, participants visited the QOC winter camp, Al Sadd SC, Aspire Dome, Khalifa international stadium, Aspetar, and praised the country’s high–class sports infrastructure and huge urban development.

At the end of the programme, the Qatar Olympic Committee hosted a dinner banquet in honour of the participating students at the Sharq Village and Spa in Doha.

His Excellency Sheikh Saoud was the first Qatari to receive the Masters degree in Sports Management from the University of Lyon, France, in 2003-2004, followed by Mohammed Al Mughaiseeb from the same university in 2007-2008 and Lulua Hussein Al Mari in 2008-2009.