Davos : His Excellency Nasser Ghanem Al-Khelaifi, chairman of Qatar Sports Investments, chairman of beIN Media Group and president of Paris Saint-Germain, said sport is playing an increasingly important role as a driver of economic value and long-term development, speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Al-Khelaifi took part in a closed-door dialogue titled “The New Global Plan: Athletes, Investment, and the Future of Sport,” hosted at the Qatar Investment Promotion Agency pavilion. The session brought together investors, business leaders, athletes and policymakers to discuss how sport can evolve into a system that mobilises capital and supports the development of projects and institutions.
The panel included NBA Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Tracy McGrady and Olympic beach volleyball medallist Sherif Younousse, and was moderated by David Moreno Jr., global sports executive and partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.
Discussions focused on the full lifecycle of modern sport, highlighting how athletes have moved beyond competition into ownership, entrepreneurship, leadership, media and multinational ventures. Participants said this shift has expanded definitions of success to include governance, long-term value creation and global reach.
The dialogue also examined sport’s influence on global health, as well as the challenges of scaling performance-based systems across markets while maintaining credibility and cultural coherence. Speakers underlined the growing role of Qatar and the Gulf region, citing sustained investment in teams, infrastructure and media as factors strengthening the region’s position in the global sports economy.
Drawing on QSI’s experience, Al-Khelaifi said sustainable growth in sport depends on aligning investment, governance and media infrastructure, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy.
The session was co-hosted by Alam Global Ventures, Global Venture Partners and Qatar Sports Investments, in collaboration with Time Africa, Rolling Stone Middle East and North Africa and Robb Report Africa, exploring sport’s role alongside finance and technology as a growing economic force.
