For the first time in the Middle East, Dubai will host the Annual Sport Accord International Convention in its 8th edition. According to official Emirates news agency, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes, FIFA President Joseph Blatter and Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe will all converge under one roof at the convention to be held between April 25-30, this year.The SportAccord International Convention is the world's top sports networking event that brings the leaders of international sport together to examine the big issues facing sports, with this year's topics ranging from The Autonomy of Sport' and Making Sport Sponsorships Work Over the Long-Term', to Sport's Role as a Leader in Sustainable Development' and Sport in the Middle East.