Top soccer stars to attend Dubai International Sports Conference

The 19th edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference, organised by Dubai Sports Council, who are also supporting the annual Beyond Globe Soccer Dubai Awards, will see a flurry of current and former football stars descend on Atlantis, The Palm on Friday evening.

A night of glitz and glamour will see more than 1000 guests gather at the prestigious five-star venue located on Palm Jumeirah, with world-renowned superstar Cristiano Ronaldo expected to be among the distinguished personnel in attendance for the 15th awards ceremony.

Representatives from one of Ronaldo’s former clubs Real Madrid, the current European champions, will also be present – including England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Meanwhile, Barcelona and Spain winger Lamine Yamal and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand are among the other high-profile guests from clubs and organisations around the world.

The Dubai International Sports Conference, organised under the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, will take place alongside the annual Globe Soccer Dubai Awards. Since its inception in 2010, the awards have brought together football’s most prominent stakeholders for an evening of celebration across domestic, regional, and international levels, while the co-located Conference provides the industry a platform to discuss and explore some of the key issues of the sport.

The theme of this year’s summit centres around “Talented Football”, which will be moderated by CNN’s Amanda Davis, who will co-host the main event alongside Tom Urquhart once more, with Ronaldo, Bellingham and Courtois the guest speakers.

On the night, there will be 15 main awards presented, including Best Men’s Player, Best Women’s Player, Best Men’s Club, Best Women’s Club, the Maradona Award and five Career Awards.

The Beyond Globe Soccer Dubai Awards has already captured global attention, with more than 100 million votes cast by fans from more than 200 countries and territories, eclipsing the previous record of 70 million. Additionally, the Globe Soccer mobile app has surpassed a record two million downloads, underlining the event’s global appeal.

The SIRO Golden Ticket Auction raised Dhs30,000, with 100 per cent of the funds raised going to the Al Jalila Foundation, a global healthcare organisation dedicated to advancing medical research, education, and treatment.

Founded on November 30, 2005, following a decree by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Sports Council is the official body responsible for the development of the sports sector in the Emirate.

The council supervises the work of Dubai’s seven local sports clubs and takes active interest in encouraging the practice of physical activity in society, especially among women and children, through programs and activities designed to create awareness about the importance of sport and physical activity, and to make it a way of life for the community.

The DSC’s mandate, though, is not just to promote sport, create awareness and nurture talent, but to also support creativity and reward excellence among both individuals and organizations and help Dubai become a land of health, happiness, and vitality. It has organized many international conferences and symposiums since 2006, including the annual Dubai International Sports Conference, to enhance the knowledge and culture of professionalism, and has brought some of the biggest names from the world of sports here to share their vision and thoughts.

The council also seeks to develop the sports industry in the UAE and the world through initiatives like the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, and it organizes many major international sports championships as well in cooperation with multiple sports bodies.

Under the guidance of its chairman, Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the DSC organizes and supports more than 400 events annually — not just top-notch sporting extravaganzas, but also awards and conferences that promote excellence, creativity, and innovation in the world of sports.