Erbil, Kurdistan – Iraq (KRG.org) - Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani yesterday opened Iraq’s first post-war international sports conference hosted in Erbil, stating how important the role of sport is to bring people together, create an environment of friendship and build a strong healthy region.
Welcoming international delegates from countries including Iran, Sweden, England and Wales, President Barzani

said: "The Kurdistan region will benefit from our guests’ experiences and we will give them the chance to see the

current level of sport in the Kurdistan region."

Underlining the importance of sport for all citizens, President Barzani, said: “Sports should be available for all

people, girls and boys - not just boys – because exercise is a necessity for every human being.”

The two-day conference, being hosted in Erbil by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has drawn together

international athletes and experts in sports policy to support the implementation of the KRG’s inclusive ‘sports for

all’ policy.

In January 2009, the KRG announced a Roadmap for Sport setting out their vision for what sport can achieve

across the region.

Speaking at the two-day conference yesterday, Taha Barwary, the KRG Minister of Sports and Youth, said: “Sport

is an incredibly powerful tool that helps us unite communities, support a healthy population and empower

individuals with a sense of achievement.

“This conference will help us take the vital next steps in developing a culture of sports that celebrates the

involvement of women, youth and the disabled, and an infrastructure to ensure talented athletes excel to become

formidable competitors at an international level.”

The conference was attended by the Iraqi Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports Isam Al-Diwan, from Iran by Faiza

Hashemi Rafsanjani , President of the Islamic Federation for Women’s Sport, and Basha Mustafa, Deputy Head of

the Iraqi Oympic Committee.

Huw Jones , Chief Executive of the Sports Council Wales, said, "It is clear that the Kurdistan Regional

Government, Ministry for Sports and Youth is committed to creating a clear vision for sport in Kurdistan and we

give them our full support."

Also among the international delegates were British Olympic medal-winner Kate Allenby, British Paralympian

Sophie Hancock, and representatives from the English Youth Sport Trust, the Welsh Football Trust and the

English Federation of Disability Sport.

The conference has been enthusiastically welcomed by the UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and

Peace, Mr Wilfried Lemke, who said, "The issues and goals to be discussed at the conference will serve as an

excellent opportunity to find effective ways to help the Iraqi people recover from the extensive conflict they have

faced."

For more information please see the conference website www.mosy-conference.info