First ever meeting of Middle East and North African Motorsport National Sporting Authorities held in
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Effectively, marking the first step in the creation of a new Middle East and North Africa (MENA) zone for the FIA, the governing body of world motorsport. The Middle Eastern associations were delighted to welcome the Arabic speaking nations from North Africa into their region, and Ben Sulayem will now seek to have this move ratified when he attends the FIA World Council meeting in Singapore. Ben Sulayem was quoted as saying on the move to incorporate the North African clubs into the new zone, "I believe this is a great step for regional motorsport, as the new MENA zone will now twenty ASNs under its jurisdiction. It is with great pride that I can represent this new zone on the global stage."
Important advances were also made during the meeting to launch a Middle East Medical Association for Motorsport. Dr Sean Petherbridge, Chief Medical Officer for the ATCUAE and the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, spoke passionately about the need for all associations across the region to work together to train medical personnel, race officials and competitors in the procedures that will allow the sport to operate in a safe environment. The proposal was agreed with a unanimous decision and will now be put into action.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of establishing of a MENA Drag Racing Championship and a MENA karting championship. HRH Prince Sultan Bin Bandar Al-Faisal, President of the Saudi Arabian Motorsports Federation will lead the MENA karting working group and said of the proposals; "The best thing about these meetings, is that it gives everyone an opportunity to realise how strong motorsport really is in the region. We have excellent facilities for karting, drag, and circuit racing, and we are building even more, and, crucially, we have such high interest and participation in these sports."
The proposed championships would make use of the facilities across the region and will come under the jurisdiction of the FIA. The meeting in Beirut coincided with the Lebanese round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, and the meeting saw further possibilities for the popular series. Both the Oman Automobile Association (OAA) and the Motorcycle and Automobile Federation of the Iranian Republic (MAFIRI) announced their intentions to host rounds in the near future.