Qatar Foundation honoured with award by Ministry of Youth and Sports for organising National Sport Day activities

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) has been honoured by the Ministry of Youth and Sports for its successful organisation of activities to celebrate National Sport Day last month.

The accolade reflected Qatar Foundation’s commitment in staging a variety of sporting activities for all ages, attracting over 11,500 participants from across the community in Qatar during the national holiday on February 10.

Almost 50 day-long activities were held at QF’s Education City, including the overwhelmingly popular walkathon, supporting Qatar Foundation’s mission to promote productive change through various projects and programmes including healthy living through sports in line with the goals and objectives set out in the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Engineer Saad Al Muhannadi, President of Qatar Foundation, commented: “We are delighted to have received this award which recognises QF’s unwavering dedication to encouraging men, women and children of all ages and athletic abilities to lead healthier lifestyles and become more active.”

“Qatar Foundation’s vision and mission to serve the community includes a strong commitment to helping the population become and remain healthy  We want to lead by example so are proud to be delivering on these commitments through our National Sport Day activities whilst also offering wider educational and community initiatives that will secure the long-term prosperity and health of Qatar.”

QF is dedicated to integrating sports and exercise into everyday lives to encourage the population to become more active. Its leadership supported the National Sport Day celebrations with participation from His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of QF.

National Sport Day, an annual event since 2012, is held on the second Tuesday of February, designated a public holiday by the government of Qatar to encourage residents to take part in sporting activities as part of a mission to lead healthy lifestyles.

With the pressures of modern-day lifestyles impacting on physical and mental health, sport is seen as vital to create a counter balance and companies and organisations across Qatar staged sporting events for employees and the public that also created an environment of community spirit.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports prepared a number of guidelines and criteria for local organisations to adhere to when planning their National Day activities. These included activities that appeal to a cross section of the community, organising activities while being cost effective and showing how to successfully promote healthy living.

Qatar Foundation was commended by the Ministry for adhering to the guidelines, earning praise and adulation for organising a healthy and fun-filled educational day. Qatar’s Minister of Youth and Sports, His Excellency Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser Al Ali, presented the Ministry’s award to Mohammed Al Naimi, chairman of Qatar Foundation’s National Sport Day Committee, who accepted the accolade on behalf of QF.

Al Naimi said: “Qatar Foundation is extremely honoured to receive this recognition from the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the many activities we arranged through team effort that involved volunteer staff from departments across the organisation.

“Following the success of staging National Sport Day activities in previous years, we demonstrated once again the importance that Qatar Foundation places on engaging the community in our activities and encouraging people to lead healthy lifestyles as a core element of QF’s mission.”

The highlight of this year’s activities at QF was the walkathon through Education City. Under the theme of ‘Unlock Your Inner Athlete’, each stage of the 3.8 kilometre route included educational activities to inspire people to lead healthier, more active lifestyles, and learn about Education City and the role that QF plays in promoting its three core pillars.

The walkathon began at QF member Al Shaqab, a world-class equestrian centre steeped in Qatari tradition. The centre hosted a series of activities that gave participants the chance to learn more about its world-class horses and facilities. The walkathon ended at Awsaj Academy, which played host to a series of activities for young and old.

Along the route, there was running commentary by management describing the architecture of various QF buildings that included the new Qatar National Library, new Qatar Foundation building, partner universities of leading international universities and the environmentally-friendly student housing.

Among the activities on the route was a seminar on the importance of a nutritious diet, led by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q). The seminar was part of WCMC-Q’s wider, QF supported programme ‘Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First’, which focuses on encouraging young people between 10 and 25 years of age to make positive lifestyle choices.

Other activities during the day included a table tennis tournament for people with special needs, a cricket tournament, tug-of-war competitions, sack races, aerobics, pilates, football, basketball, circuit training, horse-riding and traditional Qatari games such as Dahrouri to promote pride in local culture and heritage to locals and expat residents alike. Qatar Foundation’s cricket ground hosted the annual Friendship Cup cricket tournament between QF and RasGas to strengthen social ties between workers taking part.  The ground also staged a number of sporting activities for children.

QF’s National Sport Day festivities are part of a year-round programme designed to encourage the local community to live active, healthy lifestyles. One of the organisation’s key initiatives that falls under this umbrella is the Electric Bike (E-Bike) system. Launched at the end of last year, the bicycles encourage students and faculty to be more active by pedalling around campus instead of driving.