The 2020 Ooredoo Ride of Champions, organized annually by Qatar Cyclists Center, under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, was successfully held on Friday featuring more than 1,700 cyclists (from ages 3 to 68) and more than 70 nationalities in its fourth edition including for the first time wheelchair, handcycle and ability sport participants.
As could be expected, the 2020 Ooredoo Ride of Champions was very different than in the past four years.
Dr. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, President of Qatar Cyclists Center, the event organizer, said “In 2020, in these challenging times, the organizing team, government bodies, our host venue at Education City, Qatar Foundation, event partners and Qatari cycling community have shown great resilience and co-operation to ensure and deliver an event for the physical and mental wellbeing of participants in a year with few opportunities to celebrate sport and enjoy a shared community moment.”
Sabah Rabiah Al Kuwari, Director PR at Ooredoo, said: “Supporting events that promote a healthy, active lifestyle is a key priority for Ooredoo, both as part of our corporate social responsibility strategy and in line with our commitment to the United Nations Sustainability Goals. We’ve had a challenging few months with physical events, due to the ongoing pandemic situation, so to see so many riders out enjoying themselves at the Ooredoo Ride of Champions was immensely encouraging. We hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did.”
Dr. Mohammed Jaham Al Kuwari, President of Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation had this to say: “It’s great to see this event’s progress over the years. This year, hitting a record number reflects the growth in the cycling community in Qatar. Being a founder of Qatar Cyclists, I could not be happier.”
“It has been difficult to host live community events this year, following the outbreak of COVID-19,” said Mohammed Fakhroo, Executive Director of Outreach and Institutional Advancement at Qatar Foundation. “However, we’re delighted to have played host to the 2020 edition. With health and safety at the forefront of the event, we hope that we will be able to set an example for others.”
The oldest rider in this year’s Ooredoo Ride of Champions was Ammed Raoof, 68. The youngest cyclist was Hagan Joseph Jilin, clocking in at just 3 years of age. There were more than 40 participants in the new Ability-Friendly Ride, featuring wheelchair and hand pedal riders as well as the Best Buddies ride, with more than 20 participants.
HE Franck Gellet, Ambassador of France to Qatar, was one of the many impressed participants. “As ambassador of one of the most cycling countries in the world, I was pleased to join the remarkably well organized event. It was a great time altogether,” he said.
The day ended as a big success, with hundreds of participants already entering on social media for their chance to earn valuable prizes from Official Partners of the event such as Turkish Airlines, Rasen Sports and Garmin Lingawi.
