Students from ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence returned home from a busy international squash tour with a host of medals.
Just two days after competing at the Dutch Open in Amsterdam, the ASPIRE student athletes played at the Arab squash Championships in Casablanca, Morocco.
Faisal Masoud Al Marri won a bronze medal in the under 13 category, while his brother, Mohammed, made the quarter finals of the Open men’s event. Also, Abdulla Al Tamimi, who is only 13 years of age made the quarter finals in the under 17 event.
ASPIRE Students also played a leading role in the Qatar national team’s success, helping their country to medals in every age category.
The Under 13 Qatari team – lead by ASPIRE’s Faisal Masoud Al Marri, and supported by new Student Athlete Sadam Mehawesh - collected a silver medal, while the Under 17’s and the Open team both won the bronze medal.
ASPIRE’s squash team Head Coach and former world number one Geoff Hunt said: “I am delighted with the level of improvement seen in the ASPIRE student athletes. We have spent a long time away involved in international competition, but everyone has remained focused and performed to a very high standard.”
Earlier in the tour, Abdulla Al Tamimi recovered from injury to finish in 11th position in the under 15 age group of the Dutch Junior Open.
Competing against 30 different countries with 64 players in most age groups, ASPIRE students tested themselves against some of the best young players in the world.
About ASPIRE
ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence in Doha was created in 2004 with the dual aims of identifying and transforming promising student athletes into world-renowned champions across a wide range of sports and to act as a beacon to draw sporting culture into the center of life in Qatar and the surrounding region.
The Academy is distinguished by a philosophy which aims to develop the student as a whole, providing them with full academic, social and sporting development.
Unrivaled facilities, housed in and around the world’s largest purpose built indoor sports dome, ensure the Academy’s reputation as one of the foremost sporting and educational institutions in the entire international community, enticing an ever-increasing number of visitors and users, from sporting legends to global political leaders.
Every aspect of the development of elite athletes is catered for by one indoor and seven outdoor football pitches, athletics tracks, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving pool, combat arenas, gymnastics arena, specially designed weight rooms, lecture halls, dormitories to accommodate what will eventually become 1,000 students, a medical center and many more facilities.
The ASPIRE ACTIVE programs and the work of Talent Centers spread across the country ensure that thousands of the nation’s residents now have accessible and advanced health and fitness activities as routine aspects of their lives. Each social group is catered for by tailor-made classes and programs.
As of 2007, the ASPIRE Africa. Football Dreams project has tested over 600,000 young Africans from seven nations as part of the biggest-ever talent search in the sport. The top three footballers will be awarded full scholarships to study at the Academy alongside their Qatari classmates. First and foremost, ASPIRE is a place for those who dare to dream.
