This Congress is hosted for the first time by the Kuwait International Automobile Club (KT) under the umbrella of the FIA. It will welcome the participation and sponsorship of the Minister of Information and State minister for Youth Affairs and Sports of Kuwait, Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud, the Chairman of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS), Sheikh Ahmad Al-Mansour, FIA President Jean Todt, and FIA Sport Vice-President Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Attiyah.

The Congress will stretch over three days and 19 countries will be represented.

FIA Vice-President Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Attiyah said: “We are glad to hold brainstorming sessions to discuss the agenda in order to identify the best ways to develop motor sport in the future.”

Al-Attiyah added: “The Congress has a very strong agenda aiming at developing motor sport in the region in a convenient way, especially with regards to safety and improving the skills of the officials and volunteers behind the events. We need to consider as well holding more activities in different disciplines, such as rallies, hill climb racing, karting and cross-country rallies, in addition to Baja championships to be considered for North Africa to establish a balance in the region”.

“As you know we have two Formula 1 races, the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in Morocco, the Middle East Rally Championship and the World Endurance Championship in Bahrain, in addition to karting races. Our region is the first in the world to organize a drifting championship and drag races. We are very active and I am sure that our area will play a major role in developing and promoting motor sport, together with the FIA”, indicated the FIA Vice-President.

The President and CEO of the Kuwait International Automobile Club, Essa Hamzah Alfailakawi, pointed out that Kuwait had the honor to hold this Congress and that it has proven its ability to organize such an event encompassing 75 participants from 18 countries, in addition to senior FIA officials.

According to Hamzah, the Congress enjoys the full support of the State of Kuwait and constitutes the first step towards developing motor sport in the MENA region. He indicated that the Congress would discuss the future of motor sport in workshops to be held by the FIA and attended by the representatives of participating countries. The workshops are aimed at examining the issues and problems of motor sport in the world and finding solutions to develop this sport, with a particular attention to organization and safety issues, especially with the latest developments in the region.