Academy Comes Together to Achieve Distinction from European Foundation for Quality Management
Doha, Qatar
ASPIRE, the Academy for Sports Excellence in Doha, has been awarded the prestigious “Committed to Excellence” distinction from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).
It is the first time that a sports academy has achieved this EFQM award, which is the initial stage of recognizing organizational excellence within the best performing companies and not-for-profit groups.
The various parties in ASPIRE have worked together with QESA’s (The Department for Quality Management, Education, and Social Affairs) quality management team to achieve the prestigious award, completing a challenging range of training, approved assessments and interviews, and helping to establish and ensure proper business processes and run process management improvement strategies where required across the organization.
In achieving this recognition, ASPIRE is adding another important “world first” to its series of sporting and educational achievements.
Prof. Dr. Dieter Hackfort, Dean and Director of ASPIRE’s QESA Department said, “We are delighted to receive this award, which is the culmination of a long-term strategy for maintaining excellence across the Academy. Every member of the ASPIRE community has contributed to this achievement, and we will continue to uphold these standards in our organizational, educational, social, and athletic activity.”
The EFQM Excellence scheme, culminating in the Excellence Award, is considered one of the highest forms of organizational recognition, because it is judged by an audience of industry peers. Top executives from leading businesses and public service organizations study and visit the candidates and –after an intensive examination – select a handful of outstanding achievers.
During the assessment, ASPIRE was evaluated for its process management systems in the sporting and educational action field and emerged with the highest mark for the developed process management systems.
The EFQM Excellence approach is applied at organizations including BMW, TNT Express, Nokia, Volvo and Dubai Holding and represents the framework for many international Quality Awards. EFQM accreditation is valid for two years, and the Academy has already begun the process of ongoing improvement to ensure it retains this distinction.
Photo Caption 1: Prof. Dr. Dieter Hackfort, Dean receiving the EFQM Award
Photo Caption 2: The ASPIRE Academy Team
About ASPIRE
ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence in Doha was created in 2004 with the dual aims of identifying and transforming promising student athletes into world-renowned champions across a wide range of sports and to act as a beacon to draw sporting culture into the center of life in Qatar and the surrounding region.
The Academy is distinguished by a philosophy which aims to develop the student as a whole, providing them with full academic, social and sporting development.
Unrivaled facilities, housed in and around the world’s largest purpose built indoor sports dome, ensure the Academy’s reputation as one of the foremost sporting and educational institutions in the entire international community, enticing an ever-increasing number of visitors and users, from sporting legends to global political leaders.
Every aspect of the development of elite athletes is catered for by one indoor and seven outdoor football pitches, athletics tracks, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving pool, combat arenas, gymnastics arena, specially designed weight rooms, lecture halls, dormitories to accommodate what will eventually become 1,000 students, a medical center and many more facilities.
The ASPIRE ACTIVE programs and the work of Talent Centers spread across the country ensure that thousands of the nation’s residents now have accessible and advanced health and fitness activities as routine aspects of their lives. Each social group is catered for by tailor-made classes and programs.
As of 2007, the ASPIRE Africa. Football Dreams project has tested over 600,000 young Africans from seven nations as part of the biggest-ever talent search in the sport. The top three footballers will be awarded full scholarships to study at the Academy alongside their Qatari classmates. First and foremost, ASPIRE is a place for those who dare to dream.
ASPIRE TODAY, INSPIRE TOMORROW
www.aspire.qa
