ABU DHABI:  Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and President of Investors, stressed that investment in sports is a key part of the global economy, being one of the main pillars of the new economy.

In his statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Marri said that the sports sector is key to the global economy, so Investopia is keen to establish a platform for discussing the future of sports investments.

“Sports economies involve infrastructure, new talents, air traffic, travel, and other components,” he added, noting that there are many incentives that serve the sporting community and attract the interest of a wide range of investors.

The last edition of the World Government Summit, which took place in March, highlighted the importance of focussing on the new economy, in which the sports sector is a key component, he further added.

Al Marri explained that there is a difference between the new economy and the future economy, with the first focussing on the visual economy that can be seen and invested in while the future economy involves areas that can only be invested in after 5 to 10 years.

Investopia’s current interest in the sports sector is in response to the changes happening in target sectors, as part of the platform’s programme that takes place annually, he added. Its next edition, which will be held in March 2023, will not only focus on sports but will also cover a wide range of new economies that affect all areas of life.

This came as he attended an event hosted by Investopia, the global investment platform, in partnership with World Corporate Summit (WCS), in Dubai on 8th December, 2022 within the context of FIFA World Cup 2022, In the presence Bernard Caiazzo, President, Global Football Alliance and President, World Corporate Summit. Held under the theme “The Future of Investment in Sports”, the event’s 10 sessions covered major topics in the sports business from Harnessing the Media Power of Sports for Business to Creating Global Champions in Sport, Achieving Sustainable Development Through Sports, Unique Assets: Alternative Opportunities in Sports Finance, The Future Now: Innovation in Sport, The Intersection of Technology and Health in Sports, and Building the Smart Stadiums of the Future.

Mohamed Naser Al Zaabi, CEO of Investopia, said: “Investopia, the global investment platform, engages with business leaders and decision makers at the global level, in all prominent business events, in order to achieve its vision of creating and leading global dialogues to discuss economic topics, and channel investments towards sectors of the new economies. In partnership with the World Corporate Summit Investopia concluded today special event on sports which also comes within the context of the FIFA World Cup 2022. The event was rich with profound discussions about sports and football industry that attracts millions of people, particularly football, aiming to enhance the benefit from the promising economic aspects of sport activities.”

Bernard Caiazzo, said: “Sport has the power to change the world. The World Cup demonstrates this by uniting more than 4 billion people around the globe over four weeks.”

“Investopia: The Future of Sport will bring together decision-makers from the most prestigious professional clubs and leagues major investors and brands to discuss the future of the sector, which has evolved more in the past 10 years than in the previous 30 years, and is on track for tremendous growth over the coming decade,” Caiazzo added.

Prominent sports personalities from international football clubs have also attended the event, such as: Javier Tebas, President, La Liga, National Football League in Spain, and Vincent Labrune, French soccer's Professional Football League (LFP).