Top Qatari officials lead National Sport Day celebrations
HH The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani participated in kayaking activities during the National Sport Day on Tuesday.
Sheikh Tamim participated in the kayaking exercise on the Bin Ghannam Island on the east coast of Qatar. He participated in the activities to raise awareness about the of the importance of practicing sport and encouraging the community to pay attention to physical fitness.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani also took part in activities of the 13th National Sport Day.
Sheikh Mohammed, in the presence of HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, Qatar’s Minister of Social Development and Family, attended activities featuring children of Orphan Care Center (Dreama).
Team Qatar’s stars and local communities today came together to celebrate National Sports Day, with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) organising activities throughout the country as part of its unwavering commitment to promoting a healthier lifestyle, highlighting the importance of the nation's sporting culture and well-being.
Launched in 2012, National Sports Day is celebrated annually to promote healthy lifestyles. Qatar is the first country in the region, and among the first globally, to host a national holiday every year dedicated to sport.
The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) gave the public an opportunity to participate in their favourite sports activities at a specially created Team Qatar Village.
The Village, held in Barahat Msheireb, invited the local community to take part in athletics, football, handball, volleyball, basketball, boxing, taekwondo and karate, gymnastics, tennis and para sports.
With thousands of people taking part, the Team Qatar Village promoted the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and strengthened the community’s connection with Team Qatar athletes ahead of their participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“National Sport Day is a fantastic opportunity to engage our community, bring people together, and build social and cultural connections. We strongly believe in the power of sport for human development, instilling positive values and encouraging people to live healthier lifestyles,” said QOC Secretary General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain.
The National Sport Day community activities also saw the second edition of the School Olympic Programme race, with 3,000 boys and girls taking part in a running race at Lusail boulevard.
Children from elementary schools ran 1km, those in middle school ran 2km and secondary school children covered 3km.
With National Sport Day coinciding with the World Aquatics Championship Doha 2024, World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam and Doha 2024’s world-famous ambassadors were on hand to meet with fans during the festivities.
Yusra Mardini, named in TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2022 after competing for the Olympic Refugee Team at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and triple Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo were among the ambassadors to visit Mshiereb.
Elsewhere, thousands of people flocked to different parts of the country to be a part of the annual National Sport Day celebrations, held on the second Tuesday of every February.
More than 250 governmental and non governmental entiries, as well as private sector companies, hosted events for their staff members and families, as well as members of the public.
A host of activities were held at the Katara Cultural Village, Aspire Zone, Qatar Foundation and the Museum of Islamic Arts among other places.
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