Cairo to Host International Centre for Sport Security Forum

Cairo, January 24 (QNA) - The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) Thursday announced it will stage a sports event for the Africa and Middle East region, entitled the Sport Security Forum: Challenges and Solutions, under the auspices of Egypt's Ministry of Sports and in co-operation with the Egyptian Sports Writers Union (ESWU) and the Qatar Sports Press Committee (QSPC). The two-day forum, which will take place in Cairo, Egypt on January 30 and 31, will include workshops and lectures designed to explore various aspects of sport security within Egypt and the security and environmental challenges the country faces when hosting sporting events. The inaugural event will bring together delegates from around Egyptian sport, including senior government officials, representatives from Egypt's leading fan groups, high-level football administrators and recognised academics and journalists. Key themes that will be explored at the event include: the role of private security at major sporting events, the role of the media, stadium design and technology. A senior delegation including ICSS Vice President Mohammed Hajaj Al Shahwani, QSPC President Mohammed Al Malki and ESWU President Ridwan Al Zayati visited Cairo on January 23 to discuss preparations for the event with Egypt's Minister of State for Sports Al-Amri Farouq. The minister said the event would be an important step in bringing about the necessary change in security in football stadia around Egypt and would provide important insights for all stakeholders in Egyptian football, including fans, players and officials. Al Shahwani said, "We are proud to be here in Egypt and to support Egyptian organisations to deliver a safe and secure security strategy for future sporting events hosted in the country. "Egyptian sport has a strong heritage in Africa and around the wider region and we hope the forum will shed light on sport security and the current challenges facing Egyptian sport in general and football in particular." Al Malki said, "This event is one of the fruits of the partnership between QSPC, ESWU and the ICSS and on behalf of the QSPC, I look forward to taking part in this inaugural conference and supporting our Egyptian colleagues to develop real solutions for the hosting of safe and secure major events around the country." Al Zayati said, "This forum will hopefully become a cornerstone in developing critical solutions in sport security in Egypt and we would like to thank the ICSS for their involvement in staging this event. The time is right to discuss these issues with all stakeholders in Egyptian sport and I look forward to welcoming delegates from around the region for what I am sure will be a thought-leading event." As an international, not- for-profit organisation based in Doha, Qatar, the ICSS regularly organises international events and conferences to encourage the creation of sport security and integrity networks and to drive new thinking in this area. (QNA)