The 4th World Mindsports Championships kicked off yesterday in Doha, marking the beginning of a nine-day tournament which will see more than 1000 players from 23 different countries compete across the six mindsports, for the crown title of Mindsports World Champion.
The opening ceremony at Doha Exhibition & Convention Center was attended by ambassadors, representatives of the event’s partners, Mindsports champions and contestants.
Taking place in the Middle East for the first time, the Championships are organised by Mindsports Academy and hosted by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).
Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at QTA, remarked, “The hosting of these championships is a significant step for the development of the sport tourism sub-sector in Qatar. Qatar hosts over 80 traditional, participative and heritage sports events every year; and today we are proud to add cognitive sports to our portfolio.”
He added, “In hosting the fourth edition of the Mindsports World Championships, we are pleased to be yet again confirming Qatar’s position as a pioneer in bringing international sporting events to the Arab world. We are particularly delighted that Doha will witness the first time E-sports and Arabic Scrabble are included in the championships; a tradition which we hope will continue at future editions of the international competition.”
Al Ibrahim also expressed gratitude to President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, for supporting the expansion of the range of sports events held in Qatar. QTA had partnered with QOC to cross promote the emerging e-sports scene in Qatar. In addition to the e-sports competitions taking place at the Mindsports Championships, QOC will be organising a FIFA e-Sports Community Event on 27 August.
He continued, “Our partnership with QOC for this championship marks the beginning of a strategic relationship which will see both entities working closely together to further develop sports tourism in Qatar.”
The Mindsports World Championships are also supported by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Aspire Zone Foundation, Ooreedoo, AlFardan Automobiles, Adabisc, Strike and KiddyZone.
The event was made possible thanks also to collaborations with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Qatar Bridge Association, Qatar Chess Federation, Mall of Qatar, Marriot Marquis Hotel and Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
According to David Bannon, founder and CEO of Mindsports International, mindsports are the fastest growing and most highly watched sports internationally. There are over a billion Mindsports players around the world, including 600 million chess players and 400 million Go players.
“We are honoured to have the championships here in Doha, and we are proud to be bringing players from all around the world to a country that is very inviting, highly professional and the home of fantastic facilities.” He added, “Bringing Mindsports to the Middle East is very important as it matches the fastest growing sports with the fastest growing region in terms of hosting sports competitions.”
Previous editions of the Mindsports World Championships were hosted in the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and France.
Full tournament details, a list of all the events and schedules are available atwww.msawc2017.com.
Source: Qatar Tourism Authority
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