Qatar Rugby League???

[Dakink]

I wish the RLEF actually ran the world game, we might see more progress internationally!

Monday 10 December 2007 RLEF DEVELOPMENT
The Rugby League European Federation?s exploratory work in the Arabian Gulf has continued with a successful week-long mission to the State of Qatar by RLEF official Danny Kazandjian.
The Euro-Mediterranean Director of Development held talks with the Qatar Olympic Committee and ASPIRE, one of the world?s premier sports academies, as well as discussing plans with resident rugby league enthusiasts in the capital, Doha, with the intention of creating a Qatar Rugby League.
Qatar, like the United Arab Emirates where his tour began, is a nation in the throes of economic development, underpinned by massive natural gas and oil reserves. Both countries sit on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.
?My week in Doha was fascinating,? said Kazandjian. ?The emphasis that the government of Qatar has placed on sport as a cultural medium reflects the strategy used in Lebanon, and although the game?s growth will follow a different path here, I was really happy to see these core principles echoed.?
Kazandjian held two days of talks with the technical office of the QOC, the country?s sole sporting authority, led by Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the secretary general and a member of the ruling family, and with the QOC?s international relations office. ?The QOC has mapped out what we need to do to obtain all-important governmental recognition and I look forward to working with them in the coming months? he added.
In addition, Kazandjian visited ASPIRE, which is unrivalled as the worlds most dynamic and comprehensive sports academy, with state-of-the-art facilities and support programmes. ?I can best describe ASPIRE as one of the sporting wonders of the world. The sheer magnitude of not only the physical facility itself, with its six full-size football fields, among other things, but the education and talent identification programmes administered within, leaves one breathless.?
Kazandjian also held meetings with possible sponsors and potential Qatar Rugby League development officers. ?I established contact with some influential people who have shown an interest in assisting us. Couple them with the young team of experienced rugby league people currently living in Qatar who are ready to take the game forward and we have the ingredients for a potential new rugby league nation? he said.

Imagine Qatar v Lebanon etc....

[quins rl]

A game between U.A.E. and Lebanon (well,emerging Lebanese players,Espoirs) may not be far away!