Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq teams up with the Sports Council for Wales to host a unique international sports conference.

1 December 2008; London - Senior Kurdish and Iraqi ministers will join a line up of major international and UK sporting bodies and NGOs at an unprecedented international sports conference on 9 - 10 December 2008, at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff.

The conference - Regional sport, international participation: The role of regions in building a legacy of sporting excellence and participation - will look at how devolved regions pursue sporting excellence and encourage grassroots activity.

The event, which will be co-hosted by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Sports Council for Wales, is the culmination of a growing friendship between the two regions in the area of sport.

Key speakers include:

• BBC Sports Editor Mihir Bose, who will give his views on the representation of regions in international sports competitions;
• Cardiff-born Olympic medal-winning hurdler Colin Jackson CBE, who will address delegates at an evening reception;
• Welsh grassroots and elite sporting organisations the Welsh Football Trust, Welsh Hockey Union and Welsh Gymnastics;
• Shaho Qadir, an Iraqi Kurdish refugee who, after losing both his legs in a 1998 bomb attack on his village, is now one of the fastest rising stars in disabled sport. Having just completed the New York Marathon he is preparing to return to Kurdistan to film a documentary about his lost legs before beginning his preparation for the London 2012 Olympics.
• International experts in grassroots sports, including: Anders Levinson, Managing Director of the Cross Culture's Project Association - one of the world's leading organisations specialising in developing children's grassroots football as a route to peace;
• Leading sports representatives from key international regions, including: Huw Jones, Chair of the Sports Council Wales; Ignasi Doñate, Director of the Catalan Sports Council; and Erolld Belegu, President of the Kosovo Basketball Federation.

The conference, which has received an official message of support from the UN Sport for Development and Peace program, will encourage discussion and debate on:

• key issues affecting sport in devolved and federal states,
• The role of sport in post conflict nations,
• how to encourage women into sport; and
• how to develop team sports and outdoor activities like climbing, hiking and rambling.

Notes to Editors

1. Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region in federal Iraq. It borders Syria to the west, Iran to the East and Turkey to the north. The Kurdistan Regional Government is at present led by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani. The democratically-elected Kurdistan National Assembly holds legislative power in the region.
2. Kurdistan Regional Government, in collaboration with Sports Council Wales, is hosting an international sports conference on 9 and 10 December 2008 at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Cardiff.
3. Titled 'Regional sport, international participation - the role of regions in building a legacy of sporting participation and excellence', the conference will examine how to establish enduring frameworks to encourage all levels of sporting activity - from grassroots to international level - in federal and devolved regions, including those affected by conflict.
4. The conference will focus on five themes:
   1. The role of sport in post conflict nations
   2. Building social capital through sport - women, disabled and youth sport
   3. Increasing grassroots and elite participation in sport
   4. Regional sports funding and administration
   5. How regions compete internationally
5. Sports like football are already popular in Kurdistan. At the club level, the Kurdish club Arbil FC has won the Iraqi Super League two years running and will compete in the Asian Champions League. At the national team level, despite a great willingness to compete internationally the Kurdistan Region team is not yet affiliated with FIFA or the Asian Football Federation.
6. The Regional Government is investing in creating new sports facilities and infrastructure across Kurdistan, and hopes to increase levels of public involvement in other sports popular in the region - including volleyball, athletics, wrestling, hockey and equestrian disciplines.
7. More information on Kurdistan Region and the Ministry of Sports and Youth can be found at www.krg.org and www.mosy-krg.org