Two-time Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj and Tunisian legend Mohammed Gammoudi, two of middle-distance running’s greatest, will share the dais at the 9th Sports Creativity Forum on Tuesday, a day before they are honoured at the glittering awards ceremony of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award.

Organised by MBR Creative Sports Award, the 9th Sports Creativity Forum will be held on January 9 at Jumeirah Emirates Towers’ Godolphin Ballroom, with the opening session, titled “Creative Experiences”, starting at 8:30.

Tunisian Tarek Bin Mohamed Souei, winner of the Arab Referee Award, will take part in the opening session along with fellow-awardees, visually-impaired Algerian brothers Abdellatif and Fouad Baka, who have represented their country at the Paralympic Games.

The second session, titled “Sports Experiences”, will see Egyptian swimmer Farida Osman, winner of the Distinguished Athletes Achievement Award, share the dais with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Mustafa Al Sowaiq, winner of the Arab Emerging Athlete Award.

In the third session, starting at 10:40, HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, winner of the Arab Sports Personality Award, will share her “Administrative Experience” with the audience in what will be the main session of this year’s forum.

Princess Reema is deputy president of Saudi Arabia’s Sports Authority for Planning & Development and in October last year, she became the first female to lead a Saudi sports federation when she was appointed president of the Federation for Community Sports. She has also played a pivotal role in the founding and regulation of women’s sport in Saudi Arabia, and the introduction of sports among girls at public schools in the country.

Moroccan El Guerrouj, who still owns three middle-distance world records more than 13 years after hanging up his boots, will then take the dais, at 11.15am, along with a man considered by many as one of the pioneers of the African long and middle-distance running revolution, Gammoudi, for the fourth session, which is titled “Inspiring Experiences”.

Gammoudi, 79, represented Tunisia at three Olympic Games and won the 5,000m gold and the 10,000m bronze at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Four years later in Munich, he won silver in the 5,000m. Gammoudi also won the 10,000m silver at the 1962 Tokyo Olympics.

All the five sessions of the Forum will be telecast live by Dubai Sports channel, as well as the award’s official website and smart application.

PROGRAMME

Session One (8:30): Creative Experiences

Speakers: Tarek Bin Mohamed Souei (Tunisia), Abdellatif Baka (Algeria), Fouad Baka (Algeria).

Moderator: Dr Jamal Abbas

Session Two (10:00): Sports Experiences

Speakers: Farida Hisham Osman (Egypt), Mohammed Mustafa Al Sowaiq (KSA).

Moderator: Reem Abdul Hamid Al Amiri

Session Three (10:40): Administrative Experience

Speaker: HRH Princess Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud (KSA)

Moderator: Meshaal Al Qahtani

Session Four (11:15): Inspiring Experiences

Speakers: Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) and Mohammed Gammoudi (Tunisia)

Moderator: Laila Bint Farhat

Session Five (12:00): Creative Corporate Experiences

Speakers: Amina Lanaya (Acting Director General of Union Cycliste International) and Fahad Ali Al Shamsi (Chief Executive of UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation).

Moderator: Sami Al Emam