In a press conference sponsored by Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports and Head of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Youth and Sports Ministers, and His Excellency Mohammed Youssef Al-Mana, First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Federation for Sports Culture, the Arab Federation for Sports Culture announced the names that won the Culture Award. Arab Sports for the Year 2024, and the list of honorees included a number of Qatari figures at the administrative, sports and media levels, in addition to the Qatar Football Association.
The winning Qatari figures were revealed at a press conference held in Cairo under the patronage and presence of Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, and Head of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Youth and Sports Ministers.
The conference was also attended by Ashraf Mahmoud, President of the Arab Federation for Sports Culture, and a number of members of the Federation, along with Ahmed Nasser, President of the Federation of Arab Sports Federations, and Egyptian artist Sameh Al-Saraiti, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Sports Culture Award.
The Arab Federation for Sports Culture falls under the umbrella of the League of Arab States and the Board of Trustees of Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports.
The award is given to those who presented the essence of their ideas and devoted their efforts to serving Arab sports in their countries.
At the beginning of the conference, His Excellency Mohammed Yousef Al-Mana gave a speech during the press conference in which he expressed his happiness at being on the land of Egypt and said that Egypt has a major role in Arab history in terms of sports and culture.
He said: I am more happy to be in Egypt than I am to receive the Arab Sports Personality Award.
Al-Mana thanked Dr. Ashraf Sobhi for his presence in the press conference and his participation in the ceremony.
Al-Mana presented a memorial shield to Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Ashraf Mahmoud, and a number of officials from the Arab Federation for Sports Culture.
For his part, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi welcomed the guests and Mohammed Youssef Al-Mana and emphasized the depth of relations between Qatari and Egyptian officials. He also thanked Al-Mana for his efforts in resolving the Egyptian weightlifting problem with the International Federation.
His Excellency Mohammed bin Youssef Al Mana, First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, was awarded the Arab Sports Culture Personality for the year 2024, and His Excellency is a member of the Shura Council, President of the Qatari, Arab and Asian Weightlifting Federation, and Vice President of the International Weightlifting Federation, and he has a major role in spreading sports culture in the Arab world. He is a major supporter of the activities of the Arab Federation for Sports Culture, and currently holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Federation for Sports Culture.
The award was won by Qatari personalities, His Excellency Dr. Thani Abdul Rahman Al Kuwari, President of the Qatar Athletics Federation (2017-2021), who holds a doctorate in sports law from Spain.
The award was received by Ahmed Lahdan Al-Muhannadi, a member of the Board of Directors of the Doha Golf Club, and Director of the Support Services Sector at the Qatar Olympic Committee from 2017.
At the level of media professionals, colleague Abdullah Al Marri, editor-in-chief of Al-Raya newspaper, was previously editor-in-chief of Al-Arab newspaper, and headed the media committee for Gulf 17 and the Qatari media delegation at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics.
The list of honorees who won the award included Qatari Olympian Mutaz Barshim, who was on the Olympic podium 4 consecutive times in the high jump.
In the Arab Sports Culture Award for the Best Arab Sports Federation for the year 2024, the Qatar Football Association received the award for its excellence in organizing the 2023 Asian Cup and the Confederations Club World Championship.
Prize winners
The names of the rest of the honorees were revealed: Jordanian Dr. Youssef Abdullah Al-Shawarba, Saif Hamed, President of the Arab and African Hockey Federations, Fawzi Lakjaa, President of the Moroccan Football League, Muhammad Salem Al-Amari, former CEO of the Libyan Olympic Committee, Sari Hamdan, Vice President of the Jordanian Olympic Committee, and Dr. Ashraf. Marei, former head of the National Council for Disability Affairs in Egypt. At the media level, the honorees were chosen: Dr. Reda Al-Najjar, Ali Riah, correspondent for BeIN Sports channels in Iraq, and the Yemeni journalist Abdullah Al-Harazi, sports director of the Saudi Al-Madina newspaper and Riyadh Radio.