The United Arab Emirates is preparing to host top sports executives from across the globe at the Leaders Sport Business Summit in Abu Dhabi.

Over 350 senior figures from the sports industry will attend the summit to discuss the future of sport.

Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi, Chairman of the UAE General Authority for Sports and Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, will inaugurate the event, which takes place at the Bab Al Qasr hotel from 30-31 January 2019.

“All those prominent speakers and international sport leaders taking part will share their knowledge, experiences and ideas,” he said, adding: “that will no doubt have a positive impact on the process of sport in the UAE.”

Abu Dhabi is the first city in the Middle East to host the summit. New York and London are also set to host events later in the year.

The summit takes place alongside the Asian Cup, also hosted by UAE. The UAE play their semi-final match against Qatar the night before the summit opens, with the tournament’s final held on 1 February in the Zayed Sports City Stadium.

Al Romaithi hoped that hosting the two events simultaneously would demonstrate the UAE’s capabilities as a global centre for sport.

“This event will be an added value to international sporting events taking place in Abu Dhabi,” he said.

The summit includes representatives from over 25 sports, with speakers including IAAF President Sebastian Coe, PGA European Tour CEO Keith Pelley and Everton FC Deputy Chairman Keith Harris.

Several key figures from the Asian Football Confederation, which organsies the Asian Cup, will also be speaking, including General Secretary Dato’ Windsor Jones and Chair of the Women’s Football Committee Moya Dodd.

Houriya Al-Taheri, head coach of the UAE national women’s football team and a member of the AFC Women’s Football Committee, will also be at the summit, including at a session on developing women’s football in the Middle East.

As well as the main summit, the event includes a series of workshops and smaller discussion sessions.