DOHA: The Cultural Village Foundation 'Katara' on Tuesday witnessed a day full of sporting events and activities organised by Katara in cooperation with various ministries, government bodies, federations, sports clubs, institutions and health and medical centres, with wide participation by citizens and residents of different groups and ages.
On this occasion, Salem Mabkhout Al Marri, Director of the Public Relations and Communications Department, said: “Katara has been keen to provide diverse events that respond to all groups, ages, tastes and interests. We have also been keen to ensure that the awareness and educational aspect is present so that we can achieve the greatest amount of benefit, as it includes various types of events. Sports, physical and motor games and activities in which many ministries, Qatari sports federations and medical centres participated."He stressed that there is no doubt that sport has great importance in life, as it is a major factor in building a person’s mind, spirit and body, and it has a major role, like culture, in spreading awareness, establishing cohesion, harmony and rapprochement between peoples, and promoting the values of tolerance, love and mutual respect.
Throughout the day, the waterfront, Al-Hikma Square, and the hills and gardens of Katara witnessed a large turnout of visitors who interacted with the fitness and sports activities, expressing their happiness with the popular games and motivational activities that Katara had prepared, aiming to establish exercise as a way of life and maintain health and fitness.
In this context, health and sports centres recorded a prominent presence on Sports Day in Katara by providing many awareness and health consultations and medical examinations, with the participation of administrative, medical and nursing teams, as games, sports competitions, and physical, individual and group activities varied. Al-Emadi Hospital provided visitors with various examinations, and various vital medical services, in addition to introducing the Al Emadi Hospital programme, which provides all weight loss services. This wasin addition to the sports games provided by the BMI Fitness Sports Center.
The Motive Apparel Center also participated in the Katara Sports Day activities through its pavilion in Al-Hikma Square, which included many activities such as arrow shooting, soccer goal scoring and bowling, to enhance visitors’ knowledge of the importance of exercising and making it a daily lifestyle, in addition to the exhibits contained in the pavilion, and sports products made in Qatar. Kahramaa's participation recorded a large participation from visitors who enjoyed beach volleyball matches
Talila Thani Al Kuwari, Director of the Student Life Department at Lusail University, said: “Lusail University participated in the 2024 Sports Day for the State of Qatar, which it organised in Katara. The event embraced many male and female students, faculty members, employees and their families, and included a group of diverse sporting events, including the padel tournament, tennis, etc. This sporting experience was enjoyable for everyone, as attendees enjoyed the various outdoor activities.
For his part, regarding the participation of Hamad Medical Corporation, Mahmoud Younis, Assistant Director for Health Education and Community Participation, said: "For the fifth year in a row, we participate in Sports Day in Katara with several sports and awareness activities due to the influence of sports and health on each other. This year, we participate in the 'All for a Healthy Heart' campaign, which includes providing tests for diabetes, blood pressure, and body mass, in addition to some sports activities, in addition to public education on the subject of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. We were also keen to provide sports games for adults and children, and from Hamad Hospital, several health departments participated with us, including the smoking cessation department and the health education department for diabetes, in addition to the 'With You for Mental Health' campaign and others. We appreciate Katara’s role and efforts in supporting awareness of the importance of practising sports and cooperating with various parties to provide various sports and health activities."
On the other hand, the Qatar Chess Federation held activities and exciting competitions during Katara’s celebration of SportDay, with remarkable participation from various groups and ages. It included the open Basel tournament in addition to the blitz chess tournament with the participation of 80 players and a timing of 3.2 minutes for each player, where the winners were chosen in the first three places after the end of seven rounds, according to the players with the highest points.
Katara Publishing House also participated in a group of activities, including drawing workshops for children, which received big demand, in addition to a display of books and games.