A new edition of the sports management and major events management programs in Qatar has started, online

The fifth edition of the Diploma Programs in Sports Management and Major Events Management delivered by SDA Bocconi for Josoor Institute in Doha (Qatar) started last February with a module dedicated to the foundations of Sports and Major Events management.

More than 80 delegates from 38 different nationalities and mostly resident in Qatar are participating in the two courses, eager to train as managers and professionals who will be setting up the 2022 Qatar World Cup and other relevant sports initiatives organized in the MENA region.

Delegates belong to important companies operating in the sports and events industries in the region, such as BeIN Sports, Qatar Stars League, Aspire Academy and Qatar Olympic Committee. As in previous years, there is also a good representation from the Supreme Committee (SC) of Delivery and Legacy. This time some of the SC Ambassadors (former athletes) also joined the Sports Management Program: Tim Cahill, Ali Al Habsi and Wael Gomaa.

Leveraging theirwell-established distance learning mode, SDA Bocconi team designed each single session to be as much interactive and engaging as possible. Innovation and continuous improvement are key elements in education, especially during hard times as the ones we are going through.

Our professors and speakers use tools such as instant polls, breakout rooms, video and chat contributions to keep the attention of delegates and interactions with them alive.

Furthermore, in this edition we arranged one-to-one short interviews with international speakers in order to give delegates more opportunities of learning in the online mode. This new format of contributions by professionals in the field has been really appreciated by delegates and awakened their curiosity.

For the Sports Management Diploma, Demetrio Albertini (President of the Italian Football Federation Technical Center and former professional football player) and José Calderon (Special Assistant to the Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association, former NBA player for 14 years) shared their experience as athletes first and then professionals in the sports industry. For the Major Events Management Diploma, Julianne Jammers (Managing Director at SwissTech Hotel and Convention Center near Lausanne) and Niccolò Campriani (Senior Sports Intelligence Manager at IOC, former Olympic champion) contributed their overview about the different kinds of events and how to face challenges during Covid-19.

Block 2 has just taken place in distance learning from 28^th March to 1^st April. Delegates were exposed to Event Ideation and Planning for the Major Events Management program, and to Marketing, Sponsorship and Communication in Sports for the Sports Management program. Relevant speakers from key organizations such as Infront Sports, Balich Worldwide Shows, ATP Inc., European Tour, UEFA and IMG Media shared their experience and knowledge with the participants in the two Programs.

With safety and everyone’s health as a priority, future blocks will be held – either online or face-to-face, according to the evolution of the pandemic worldwide – in June (3^rd), September (4^th), October (5^th) and November (6^th).

During Block 6, all delegates will also have the opportunity to present the output of a final group project built throughout the whole learning journey.

The initiative is designed and managed by Academic Director Dino Ruta, with the support of Program Directors Deborah Raccagni and Antonio Palmieri and the whole Sports Knowledge Center team, partially based in Doha.





SDA Bocconi School of Management.