Abdulla Al-Mulla

Abdulla Yousuf Al-Mulla is Director of the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum and Director of Protocol at the Olympic Council of Asia. In 2015 he was elected Chair of Protocol at the Association of National Olympic Committees. His responsibilities have also included chairing the International Table Tennis Federation’s Nominations Committee, serving on an Olympic Council of Asia coordination committee, directing protocol at the Association of National Olympic Committees and serving in the Asian Table Tennis Union. His experience in sport, public relations and event management extends across more than thirty years.

He was born on 1 January 1959 into a traditional Qatari family in New Doha that preserved its customs and close family ties. From his family and neighbourhood, he learned patriotism, belonging and unconditional love. His father served as a mosque muezzin and his grandfather as its imam and preacher. Following their example, he developed a religious and conservative upbringing that strongly shaped his balanced character.

He completed primary education at Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi School, then attended Qatar Preparatory School and Doha Secondary School before graduating from the University of Arizona in Tucson, United States. He had loved sport since childhood, forming a neighbourhood football team and taking part in both organised and traditional games. Despite difficult circumstances, his family’s support helped him overcome obstacles and excel in his professional and sporting lives.

His passion for sport began in childhood and became especially evident during the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship. He had earlier volunteered at the fourth Arabian Gulf Cup in 1976 and was among the young helpers at sporting venues.

Although he met His Highness the Father Amir only a few times, the leadership of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani remained an important influence on him. He was also inspired by the words of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who encouraged sport and supported athletes.

A decisive change came when he transferred from the University of Jordan to study in the United States. The new environment tested him, but he preserved the values and religious principles with which he had been raised. He also came into contact with leading sports figures, including His Excellency Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Mohamed bin Hammam and Mohammed Faraj, following their work, listening to their advice and learning from their example.

His sporting career included many turning points, but the 2006 Asian Games had the greatest influence and did most to refine his abilities. Its professional working methods allowed him to build on earlier experience and learn from leading figures in the field. Abdulla Al-Qahtani, whose administrative expertise he particularly valued, gave him broad authority and sustained support. He also benefited from the 2010 World Indoor Athletics Championships and the 2011 Arab Games. He later used this accumulated experience to advise international sporting organisations around the world on protocol requirements.

He worked across several institutions and sectors, although his principal career was in oil and gas, where he spent more than twenty-three years at QAPCO and was seconded for four years to the Asian Games. At the establishment of Masraf Al Rayan, he joined as General Manager of Human Resources and Administrative Services and helped build its administration. He later moved to Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development and ultimately became Director of the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum. He also spent two years as Executive Director of Operations at Qatar Insurance Company and Chief Executive Officer of its Administrative Group.

His earlier appointments included Asian protocol adviser for the Winter Asian Games in Astana and Almaty, Kazakhstan; the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China; the 2008 Asian Beach Games in Bali; and an Asian Games event in Korea. He also directed protocol at major sporting events, including the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, the 2010 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha and the 2011 Association of National Olympic Committees gathering.

He also worked with a United Nations sport-for-peace initiative associated with Antonio Maria Costa, then Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna. In Qatar, he served for ten years on the Disciplinary Committee of the Qatar Football Association.

He contributed to numerous national and international sporting events, applying sound judgement to operational problems. His responsibilities involved Qatar Airways, the Qatar Olympic Committee, national federations and local clubs. He directed the Local Media Committee for the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship, managed the Qatar Open Table Tennis Championship from 1996 to 2008, and served on the Board and as Secretary-General of Al Ahli Sports Club from 1988 to 1994. He also worked on three editions of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, the 1998 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, the Qatar Athletics Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999, the 2000 IAAF Grand Prix Final and the 2001 Tour of Qatar cycling race.

He served as Director of International Relations at the 2005 West Asian Games, then as official spokesperson and Director of International Relations at the 2006 Asian Games. He went on to direct the Media and Television Broadcasting Committee at the 2010 World Indoor Athletics Championships and to lead the same committee while serving as official spokesperson for the 2011 Arab Games.

He also directed the Media and Television Broadcasting Committee for the 2014 IHF Men’s Club World Championship and the 2015 World Men’s Handball Championship. The source edition records his continuing chairmanship of the International Table Tennis Federation’s Nominations Committee, membership of the Asian Table Tennis Union since 1997 and service as Director of Protocol at the Arab Table Tennis Federation since 2017. He participated in the 2000 Athletics Grand Prix Final and worked as an adviser to the Director-General on the Projects and Legacy Committee.

In recognition of that experience, he was appointed Director of the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, where he worked under Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and alongside Ahmed Al-Namla. Although museum leadership was a new field, he applied the accumulated knowledge of his earlier roles to a national institution whose collection serves audiences in Qatar and across the Arab world.

His path included many obstacles, but support from officials in both the oil sector and sport helped him overcome them. He took part in more than three hundred tournaments and helped guide each event to a successful conclusion.

Despite his many responsibilities, he has always placed family first and remained close to his children. He guided them towards different fields of study so that they could serve Qatar and fulfil their professional potential in military, educational, administrative, banking and other careers.

Qatar has made sustained efforts to preserve its identity and local culture and to present them appropriately at home and in international forums. He believes young people share responsibility for continuing that work and building a cohesive society.

Education, in his view, is essential to serving the country and achieving personal and professional goals, while religious principles provide the foundation for sound choices and conduct.