Khalid Tawalbeh
Doha
All state agencies and ministries are set to host a range of activities and events today on the occasion of Qatar National Sport Day, which is marked annually on the second Tuesday of February, creating an opportunity to promote the value of sport and its positive impact on individuals and communities.
This day also aligns with the Qatari government’s strategy to invest in its citizens with emphasis on human development through participation in sports and good health.
The Sports Day constitutes an added value for society, and at the same time, carries a purposeful message based on spreading the positive spirit at all levels through events held in many regions of the country with the participation of employees of these ministries and institutions, their families and other sport lovers among the public.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, citizens and residents of Qatar stressed that this year’s National Sport Day is also an exceptional occasion to recall the success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as Qatar hosted the first football World Cup in the Arab region, and was able to impress the whole world with its achievements during the tournament, describing the day as an example Qatar leadership’s to consolidate its success.
Mohammed Al Nuaimi said, “The main objective of the National Sport Day is to promote sports, educate the community about its importance in an individual’s life, in order to reduce the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The occasion is also an opportunity to bring together community groups through sports principles and introduce the sports heritage in Qatar to the wider community.
“The celebration of Sport Day year after year has become one of the hallmarks of our beloved Qatar, where all members of the community, old and young, participate in this day by practising sports at stadiums, squares, parks, halls and dedicated tracks throughout the country.”
He added, “All sectors of the state have been organising various sports events and activities, especially in educational institutions, from nurseries, kindergartens, private schools to educational centres, which are keen on the participation of all members of the school community, students, staff and parents, to inculcate sports lifestyle, where a healthy mind in a healthy body. February 14 is a wonderful occasion to celebrate the National Sport Day and an exceptional chance to remember the success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
Sana’a Al Malki stressed that the Sport Day, which has been launched by the state since 2011, is a pioneering initiative of its kind and a rare step in the sports field worldwide, as the state considered sports an element worthy of attention and investment in to promote a healthy lifestyle.
She said, “This confirms the interest of the wise leadership in the importance of investing in people. This is done by enshrining the concept of the importance of sport in the lives of citizens and residents of the country, urging them to change their lifestyle and adopt health practices in the Qatari society, in order to achieve the human development pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
She added, “Qatar today is an example to follow in community sports, where sport is practised by everyone and the increase in participants is a positive sign that there is a noticeable development in awareness of the importance of playing sports and turning it into a lifestyle that continues throughout the year.”
Dr Nora Youssef, a Sudanese expat, described Qatar’s interest in sports as one of the most prominent title in the development and renaissance march led by the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as it is a sound investment in generations and a confident future outlook for human development.
She said, “Despite the coronavirus pandemic, which affected the whole world and froze sports activities almost everywhere, Qatar was able to convince the whole world about the strength of its health system and host the most important international sports events in that difficult period.
“Qatar has succeeded in this with the testimony of FIFA and also the World Health Organization, and all this is added to the spotless history of country’s capacity in hosting sporting events, which confirm the world’s recognition of Qatar’s status and its good sports reputation, which received the highest certificates of appreciation from international bodies and organisations.”
Dr George Haddad, a journalist and writer at the French AFP news agency, praised the efforts of Qatar in paying attention to sports, spreading its culture, promoting it and encouraging its practice.
“I believe that the National Sport Day aims to promote and elevate sports with its moral and human values, as well as its multiple benefits that go beyond physical fitness and health to encourage the values of participation, integration, unity, equality and team spirit. Indeed, sports of various kinds are no longer just a successful individual lifestyle, but have come to play a vital role in public life,” he said.
He added, “Sport effectively contributes to building and extending bridges of communication, bonds of love and cooperation between nations and deepening social and cultural ties between peoples, thus becoming one of the successful and important tools of people’s diplomacy and its impact became clear in strengthening relations between countries. Sport also occupies a prominent place and great importance in upgrading people’s relations, pushing them forward for the advancement and development and exchange of benefits and various experiences to improve economic, political, cultural and developmental relations between countries.
“What makes Qatar even more brilliant today is that this year’s Sport Day came after the impressive and successful organisation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and this makes us more eager for Qatar to play greater sports roles at the local, regional and international levels, and makes us more committed to consolidate and spread the culture of sport and to adopt it as a successful lifestyle.”
Psychologist and communication arts instructor Dr Ahmed al Tayeb said “The National Sport Day has become one of the pioneering and acclaimed initiatives of Qatar, and many countries are seeking to enact similar laws and legislations so that they have a sports day that will be an official holiday so that everyone can practise sports and sow this useful culture in generations, so that they can grow up to love sport and know the benefits of practising it on the individual and society.”
He added, “The celebration of National Sport Day by Qatar reflects the wise vision of the wise leadership of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in encouraging the practice of sports and achieving awareness of its importance and role in the society, as the sports events held on this day serve the objectives of the National Health Strategy, which has dedicated its third goal to preventive health, and is in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
He stressed that Qatar is a pioneer in dedicating a day as Sport Day as an annual event to achieve awareness of the importance of sport.
Golf coach Sally Abo Nasser explained that the decision to allocate a day for sports with a fixed date every year was the result of an insightful vision of the wise leadership and an unprecedented step in the world, which provoked positive reactions several years ago, not only in Qatar, but in the whole world.
She said Qatar, through its celebration of Sport Day every year, attests the importance of sport in strengthening its position at the regional and international levels, as it has always presented many creative initiatives in the sports sector, as well as the establishment of many huge sports facilities, which made it the capital of sports in the Middle East.
