"Exposure 2026" It strengthens its position as a global platform that enriches the sports industry internationally

Sharjah, 4 February / WAM / As the International Photography Festival “Xposure 2026” enters its second decade, the global event continues to consolidate Sharjah’s position as a global center for visual culture that recognizes the image as one of the driving forces in various fields.

The global sports industry, of which image is an important pillar of its spread, is witnessing rapid growth, generating hundreds of billions of dollars annually, while the total value of its economic system, when calculating broadcast rights, sponsorship, marketing, tourism, digital platforms, and advertising, is estimated at more than two trillion dollars, according to the New York Times.

Football alone attracts millions of viewers around the world at a time when elite and emerging sports continue to expand their presence in international markets. However, this economic rise was not the result of sports performance alone, but rather came as a result of visual spread.

Still and moving images have transformed sports from a local activity into a global industry, as television coverage has allowed audiences from different continents to gather around football matches, and high-resolution visual technologies have reshaped the image of motorsport as a test of physical and mental abilities, while digital platforms have pushed emerging sports such as padel to the forefront of the global sports scene before traditional broadcast systems were formed.

In all of these models, the image not only documented the sporting event, but also contributed to creating markets, shaping cultural identity, and creating sustainable economic value.

This vision lies at the heart of the International Photography Festival “Xposure 2026”, which celebrates an entire decade of visual storytelling.

The Sharjah Government Media Office is organizing the tenth session of “Xposure” based on a clear message of elevating the image from its aesthetic framework to a broader space as an influential force in shaping economies, promoting cultural exchange, and influencing global development paths.

Over the past decade, the image has become a pivotal element in the growth of various sectors, from tourism and global advertising to building brands and promoting creative industries that contribute directly to the domestic product of countries, and sports is one of the most prominent examples through which this impact can be measured.

The global dominance of football is based on the reach of broadcasts and not on the capacity of stadiums, while the commercial growth of Formula 1 racing is closely linked to cinematic visual production, which transforms speed and engineering into an exciting visual spectacle. Padel has imposed its presence globally through shareable visual content, which confirms that vision may precede structural investment.

“Exposure 2026” places all of these transformations within a cultural framework that discusses how a valuable image is created, affects collective memory, and contributes to the formation of identity.

Exposure 2026 offers a specialized area for sports and action photography that addresses the sports image as an introduction to understanding broader economic and social issues, going beyond the concepts of winning and performance to exploring the concepts of endurance, ambition, and the human relationship with movement.

International award-winning American photojournalist David Brent is participating in his exhibition “Athletes After 50,” which documents over a long period of time the careers of athletes between the ages of fifty and 100 during their participation in national and international championships for seniors in the United States.

The exhibition included pictures of competitions in athletics, basketball, weightlifting, triathlon, surfing, and others, in a visual presentation that redefines sports as a lifelong path that focuses on resilience and community belonging rather than commercial showmanship.

For his part, Norwegian photographer Morten Kvall presents the “Art of Speed” exhibition, transforming iconic motor racing cars into visual works closer to sculptures that reflect human ambition, precision and discipline.

Kafalah draws on decades of experience in elite motorsport environments, to confirm through his work that the global appeal and commercial success of this sport are inseparable from its visual identity, as image-making becomes a parallel element to the sporting performance itself.

“Xposure 2026” brings together more than 420 photographers and visual artists and includes 95 exhibitions and 3,200 artworks from more than 60 countries, in addition to dialogue sessions, workshops, and professional programs that discuss the role of the image in various sectors.

By including sports photography within a broader cultural and economic dialogue, Xposure strengthens its position as a global platform that not only displays images, but also raises profound questions about its role in shaping markets, influencing behavior, and connecting societies.

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