His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani
Emir of the State of Qatar

Place and Date of Birth:
- Doha, 1952.

Academic Qualifications:
- Received his Primary, Preparatory and Secondary education at Qatari schools.
- Joined the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and graduated in July 1971.

Political History:
- Joined the Qatari Armed Forces in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was appointed Commander of the first Mobile Regiment, now named: Hamad Mobile regiment. He was then promoted to the rank of Major General and was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

- Modernizing existing units, equipping them with the most up-to-date weaponry, increasing their personnel and providing the best training on the most advanced military techniques.

- On May 31st 1977, Appointed Heir Apparent and Minsiter of Defence.

- Appointed Chairman of the Higher Council for Planning, which is considered as the cornerstone in the building of a modern state.

- Chaired the Higher Council for Youth Welfare (HCYW) since it was set up in 1979 until September 1991, and pledged a lot of patronage to sports and youths activities through the HCYW, clubs and various sports establishments.

- H.H. the Emir is the sponsor of civilian sports in Qatar. He also established the first Military Sporting Association, which got the membership of the International Military Sporting Association. H.H. the Emir gave much support and attention to youth and sports sector out of his belief in the significance of the role played by this vital sector in the process of building and developing the society.

- On 27/6/1995, Acceded to power.

- Has sponsored many conferences on a variety of topics, taken part in numerous Gulf and Arab conferences and paid visits to many countries around the world.

Decorations and Orders:
- H.H. the Emir was awarded decorations and orders by a number of Arab and foreign countries in appreciation of his efforts to boost bilateral relations and promote cooperation with these countries. These are as follows:

1. Medal of Oman 1975.

2. The Nile Sash, Egypt 1976.

3. King Abdul-Aziz Medal, Saudi Arabia 1976.

4. Diagam Tanda Kehormation, Indonesia 1977.

5. Order Francisco de Miranda, Venezuela 1977.

6. Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, UK 1979.

7. Grand Officer de la Legion d'Honneur, France 1980.

8. Al Muhamadi Medal, Morocco 1981.

9. Sash of Merit, Lebanon 1986.

10. Al Hussain Bin Ali Necklace, Jordan 1995.

11. Medal of Merit, 1st class, Sultanate of Oman 1995.

12. Medal of 7th November, the highest decoration in the Republic of Tunis 1997.

13. Grand Croix De La Legion D'Honneur, France 1998.

14. Ordre National du Lion, Senegal 1998.

15. Nishan-i-Pakistan, the highest decoration in Pakistan 1999.

16. Des Grosskreuzes, Germany 1999.

17. Ordinul National Steaua Romaniei, Romania 1999.

18. The National CEDAR Medal of the Order of the Greatest Sash, Lebanon 2000.

19. Cavaliere di Gran Croce, Italy 2000.

20. Order of Republic, Yemen 2000.

21. Order of Jose Marti, Cuba 2000.

22. Greater Star, Cote D'Ivoire 2002

23. Al-Mohammadi Medal, Kingdom of Morocco 2002.

24. The IAAF Golden Order of Merit, " H.E Shaikh Jassim bin Thamer Al Thani receives on behalf of H.H. The Amir, The Golden Order of Merit ",The International Association of Athletics Federations 2005.

25. White Rose of Finland, Republic of finland 2007.

26. The Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer, Greece 2007.

27. The Grand Cross of Merit, Dominican Republic 2008.