Sports ministers from all over the world have converged on Doha for the Doha Goals summit.
The closed-door forum, which is sponsored by the Emir of Qatar and kicked off in the Gulf State on Monday, has also brought together investors, lobbyists and sports personalities.
The question of finance is now fundamental to sports as Brazilians question the amount being spent on the 2014 World Cup, while recent Olympics have proved a major drain on national finances.
"Sport should not be seen as a burden, it's an investment," said Congo sports minister Leo-Alfred Opimbat, whose country will host the 2015 African Games.
"We see that sport is taking an ever more important role in the budget of States. Funding is of course up to the state, but you have to also seek additional finances."
The three-day forum will also be the world's leading platform focusing on sport as a force for social and economic change.
Three initiatives are to be formally launched at the forum - the creation of an international sports index on the model of the poverty index, the construction of sports facilities in disadvantaged areas, and production of prosthetics to help disabled children practice sport.
But the outline of these projects is still quite vague, especially the issue of funding.
Money, the lifeblood of sport, is clearly at the heart of debates, with companies and athletes seeking funding.
Such as Greek sailing champion Sophia Bekatorou, a gold medallist in Athens and bronze in Beijing, who is looking for funding for a Masters, in organising sports events, in the historic home of the Olympic movement Ancient Olympia.
"People here have the wealth to support projects. And the Doha Goals is all about sports connecting people," said Bekatorou.
"I am trying to build a bridge, not to take the money and go away with it."
