President of Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) Khaleel Al Jabir expressed his pride for being elected as a new member of the Board of Directors of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in the new 2017/2020 electoral cycle, in a new addition to the sporting achievements in Qatar.
In an interview with the QNA, Al Jabir dedicated the achievement to Qatar, saying the achievement is “an addition to the series of successes made by the a number Qatari cadres who occupied leading positions in different sports organisations.”
He extended thanks to those who have supported him to reach this position, most importantly President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) H E Sheikh Joan bin Hamad Al Thani and QOC Secretary-General Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari.
Al Jabir said that the success of Doha in hosting the World Swimming Championships and its success in well-presenting those events had a great impact on his election for the FINA board membership. He expressed his hope to contribute to achieving the desired addition which shall benefit Swimming in Qatar and in the Asian region as well.
Al Jabir was elected as a member during the FINA meeting in Hungary, during which seven distinguished members were selected to serve the game in the future. Al Jabir said that he was among selected candidates as a complementary member of the current board until 2020.
Al Jabir stressed that being selected to this position does not represent him as a person, but as the representative of the State of Qatar.
“It was a reflection of the QOC’s Vision 2020, which was developed for giving more attention to the Qatari carders and supporting them to hold leading position,” he said pointing to the election of the President of Qatar Equestrian Federation Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah as President of the Asian Equestrian Federation, and before him, the election of the President of Qatar Table-Tennis Association Khaleel Al Mohannadi to be the first Arab President of the International Table-Tennis Federation.
“These positions are a strength for the State of Qatar in the sports field,” Al Jabir said, adding: “I believe that the Doha policy is based on sound and well-thought-out principles and rules that have made them reap the fruits of hard work in the sports field after these results.”.
“Our success in hosting major sports events is a clear proof of the great support we enjoy from our wise leadership,” Al Jabir stressed.
As for the future work plan, the QSA President said: “Getting to the heart of the federation is an achievement and FINA will develop a number of programs that can be utilised especially in the process of developing athletes and their participation which is in line with the programs of the QOC. In the future we will focus on the benefits of the programs directed to the development and training courses for the coaches and judges, which is beneficial to swimming in Qatar in preparation for hosting the World Championship in 2023.
With regard to the preparatory program of the QSA before the start of the World Swimming Championships (Doha round 2017), Al Jabir said: “We are now in the final stages before the beginning of the competition which was supposed to be held in September but has been postponed until October 4 and 5 due to changes of the FINA calendar.”
He added that the Qatari swimmers have been ready for the championship for a long time through their participation in all international tournaments, especially in the World Cup, pointing that the preparation for external tournaments is continuous.
