LOC01:34
22:34 GMT
MOSCOW, Nov 7 (KUNA) -- Secretary-General of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Nasser Al-Mutairi said Friday that sports serve as a bridge of rapprochement and confidence building among different nations.
Sports boost the spirit of unity, cooperation and understanding among people with different cultures away from political backgrounds, he said in a speech to the plenary session of the 13th International Sports Forum.
The Forum, themed "Russia - a Country of Sports," was hosted in Samara city, southwestern Russia, on November 5-7.
Al-Mutairi noted that the first meeting of the ACD ministers of sports, held on November 5 on the fringes of the Forum, gave a strong momentum to sports cooperation among the ACD member countries.
The ministerial meeting built on the initiative of "sports diplomacy," launched by the third ACD summit in Doha, capital of Qatar, in October 2024.
It reflects the desire shared by the ACD members to utilize sports as a means of enhancing understanding and friendship across the Asian continent, he added.
Al-Mutairi underscored, in statements to KUNA, the need of keeping sports away from any political polarizations in order to help promote the humanitarian values and empower the youth to work for peace and coexistence.
The 13th International Sports Forum gathered large number of sports ministers and experts from around the globe to discuss the future of international sports cooperation and the role of the sports diplomacy in achieving the goals of sustainable development, he went on.
During the three-day event, Al-Mutairi had separate meetings with the ministers of sports of Russia and Kazakhstan, and deputy minister of sports of Iran on how to benefit from the successful experiments in the modernization of the sports sector.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech to the opening meeting of the Forum on Wednesday. (end)
dan.gb