Texas Health Resources has entered an agreement with Qatar-based Aspire Zone Foundation to explore a North Texas partnership. A news release from the Arlington-based health system says the partnership would expand its sports medicine services and create a “center of excellence” in North Texas.
The memorandum of understanding, signed on Wednesday, does not necessarily promise future collaboration. A Texas Health representative said there’s no timeline on next steps and that the details of how a partnership would present itself are yet to be determined. The spokesperson didn’t say where a center of excellence might be located or what it would entail.
The pending partnership was announced on Tuesday in Qatar.
More from the press release:
The announcement Tuesday in Qatar was another step toward Texas Health and Aspire formalizing their plans. The two organizations have been in discussions for several months about collaborating on sports medicine services in the areas for both competitive athletes and the promotion of active and healthy lifestyles through recreational sports.
Aspetar and Aspire have made it a goal to become a global leader in sports medicine and exercise science in advance of the Qatar-hosted 2022 FIFA World Cup. Singleton said the proposed affiliation between Aspire and Texas Health would aim to make North Texas a nationally-recognized destination for sports in advance of 2026 World Cup.
If it does happen, Texas Health gets access to a deep-pocketed organization that built and operates a sprawling sports complex called Aspire Zone in Doha, Qatar. It’d be Aspire’s first venture into the U.S.
“We see this collaboration as another sign of the strong and deep relationship between Qatar and organizations in the U.S. like Texas Health,” Aspire Zone Foundation CEO Khalifa Al-Suwaidi said in a statement. “And the timing couldn’t be better with Qatar being a host of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and North Texas being a site for matches when the U.S. hosts the World Cup in 2026.”
In addition to its sports facilities, Aspire conducts research on athletic performance and creates education and coaching programs.
“We’re committed to advancing our sports medicine program in North Texas and are excited about what the future holds for athletes in the area,” said Dr. Steven Singleton, director of sports medicine for Texas Health, in a statement. “An organization like Aspire has a strong track record of sports-medicine research, education and advanced orthopedic treatments within an internationally-recognized program.”
Earlier this year, I wrote about Dallas-Fort Worth’s sports medicine boom, particularly in Collin County.
