Final day discussions focus on sport, accessibility, and equity in healthcare
Doha, Qatar, October 6, 2022 – Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, today attended the closing ceremony of QF’s World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) 2022, held at Education City in Doha, Qatar.
Also in attendance were H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of The United Republic of Tanzania; H.E. Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, the First Lady of Sierra Leone; Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA; H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy; and Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, along with a number of other excellencies, leaders, and decision makers.
With a focus on the role sports can play to promote accessible, inclusive, and equitable healthcare, the final day of the summit saw the launch of the “WISH Declaration on Disability Inclusion in Sport and Health”. Drawn up by the World Health Organization, the International Disability Alliance, and WISH, the declaration serves as a call to action for inclusive participation in sport.
The announcement followed an insightful discussion which saw panelists discuss how sport is crucial to the well-being of those with disabilities and helps to instill a sense of community, capacity, and achievement.
WISH 2022 participants also had the opportunity to listen to Olympic gold medalist, Sir Mo Farah, who shared his unique insights on coping with mental health challenges as an elite athlete. Other sessions explored the role mega sporting events can play in promoting physical activity and discussed strategies to make sports more accessible for people with disabilities.
The discussions on the final day concluded with several key recommendations, including using sports to promote healthier lifestyles at all age levels, scaling the potential health impact of sports events, supporting effective planning and delivery of sporting events’ legacy for future events, and developing mechanisms for the transfer and development of knowledge.
Apart from conversations around sport and healthcare, leading voices, experts, and policymakers from around the world engaged the participants in speeches and discussions during the three-day summit. Some of the themes this year included the resilience of health systems, vaccine innovation and equity, lessons from COVID-19, and the well-being of the healthcare and migrant workforces.
WISH also serves as an impactful platform to recognize the latest innovations in healthcare, and through its Innovation Competitions recognizes early-stage startups, as well as those looking to scale up. This year’s winners were awarded cash prizes and WISH-sponsored trips to the upcoming Web Summit in Portugal in November – one of the largest tech conferences in the world.
The formal launch of the fourth edition of the Street Child World Cup, an initiative of Street Child United, was also announced on the last day of the summit. The international football tournament, held to champion the rights of underserved children worldwide, will this year feature 28 teams of girls and boys from 25 countries and will be hosted in partnership with QF.
The launch featured a video by Brazilian football player, Neymar Jr., who addressed the children participating in the Street Child World Cup. Reminiscing on his own start to the sport, he said: “As many of you know, I started playing football in the street in front of my house. Football is the way I like to express myself – with joy, dribbling, and goals.
“May you keep dreaming and playing football with joy. Enjoy the Street Child World Cup and be proud to represent your countries,” he added.
WISH is the global health initiative of QF. To read more and read all the newly launched WISH 2022 research reports, visit wish.org.qa
