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Tribune News Network
Doha
ASPIRE Zone Foundation (AZF) concluded on Saturday the men's hockey and volleyball tournaments organised as part of AZF's Ramadan Sports Festival (RSF) 2018, a two-week sporting spectacular that attracts more than 1,000 sports enthusiasts from across Qatar.
Amidst great enthusiasm from spectators, team Wanderers emerged as winners of the indoor hockey tournament after an outstanding showcase of skill in the final match, which ended in a 5-0 win against runners-up, team Lion. A one-day junior hockey tournament for young boys and girls was also held on the sidelines of the tournament with three teams competing at each category.
The hockey tournament generated positive remarks from spectators and participants. Some said they hope to see more hockey sporting events for all community members, including women and juniors throughout the year.
The RSF is an excellent example of the year-round programme of activities hosted by AZF designed to cater to all members of the community, and hockey is one of the sports that have a large fan base in Qatar, especially amongst members of the expat communities from Egypt, the UK, Germany, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India.
Commenting on the occasion, Maggid Abu-Talib, Technical Director at the Qatar Hockey Federation, praised Aspire Zone for including the indoor hockey on the RSF agenda for the second year in a row, saying:"The RSF provided hockey fans with an opportunity to play their favourite sport, cheered on by the family and friends who came to support. The level of support from Aspire Zone was so encouraging that we increased this year the number of participating teams to eight and organised a mini-competition for youngsters."
On Friday, team Eagles clinched the Men's Volleyball title after beating Riders (2-0) in a competition that was held over five days and featured 12 teams, while team Ivac secured third place after winning their match against Al-Ahli (2-0).
On Saturday, the Ladies' Volleyball tournament kicked off, where team Actors defeated Slammers (2-0) and Boom General beat Black Tigers (2-0) on the opening day.
Separately, AZF will organise on Sunday an open scuba diving day for people with special needs to try the indoor swimming pool at the Aspire Dome from 9:30pm to 11pm. The event, organised in partnership with non-profit organisation, Freestyle Aquatics, is part of an initiative launched last year as part of AZF's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, which seeks to engage people with special needs in various sports anytime of the year.
Aspire Dome will witness on Sunday the opening match of the Men's Basketball tournament at 9:30pm, while on Wednesday, the outdoor warm-up track will witness the start of the cricket tournament featuring 10 teams competing in two groups, and the Ladies Sports Hall will host on Friday more than 29 boys aged 9 to 14 to take part in the 1st edition of Male Fitness Challenge.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Men's Football and AZF's Staff Futsal tournaments will come to a close on Aspire Zone's outdoor warm-up track and Aspire Dome's multiple purpose hall.
