The Netherlands Sports Week at Expo 2020 Dubai: Changing the game together

Being brave, be aware of your own bias and changing the game together. These key messages were not only the take-aways of the seminar about sport and physical activity for women and girls, but for the whole Netherlands Sports Week. Sport connects with the Sustainable Development Goals and is a bigger economical factor than most people think. This week has proven the Dutch sport sector can be the (trade) partner for inclusive, sustainable and innovative sport experiences.

yesterday’s seminar “The importance of Sport and Physical Activity in the Lives of Women and Girls”, was organized together with the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sport Association, and featured as speakers: Ms. Mariam Rashed Al Mansoori, Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sport Association, Ms. Amna Obaid al Mehiri, UAE basketball player, Ms. Abeer al Khaja, Dubai Sports Council, Ms. Laura van Leeuwen, Ajax/Sharjah FC, and Ms. Jacqueline Kronenburg, Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity Netherlands.

Coming to the Expo 2020 Dubai and organizing this theme week has resulted in new connections, new insights and new business opportunities.

For instance, the innovations about sustainability – ranging from air cleaners in sport facilities to led lights and natural grass without pesticides – presented this week connect very well with the ambitions of sport organizations in the UAE. Fruitful new business contacts have been realized. Also on a higher level, the triple helix of government, knowledge and business has proven to be an interesting combination for the Dubai Sports Council and the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sport Association, that are interested to work together with Dutch organizations on the longer term.

The Netherlands Sports Week has been organized by Orange Sports Forum in collaboration with Sportinnovator and the Netherlands’ Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity, took part from 13^th to 15^th December at the Netherlands Pavilion.

The Netherlands’ delegation consists of more than 25 leading companies and government organizations related to sports that includes AFC Ajax, Wageningen University & Research, Philips, and many more. Thursday, they will visit ‘Invest in Sharjah’ and Sharjah FC, to conclude the NL Sports Week.

The three-day program of the NL Sports Week at the pavilion has included business meetings, matchmaking, seminars, demonstrations/ clinics, workshops and company visits. The Netherlands Pavilion also featured several Dutch products and sustainable, circular  innovations.

For those who could not make it to the physical events, the seminars can be seen as replays on the pavilion’s virtual platform, Dutch Dubai.

The Netherlands Pavilion – a platform for connection

H.E. Carel Richter, Commissioner General for the pavilion says: “The Netherlands is a multifaceted country in terms of sports. It is always very impressive to see what our athletes are able to achieve. Like other nations, even in the UAE, there is a lot of priority given to lifestyle, sports, exercising and maintaining healthy balance.”