Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) recently celebrated its anniversary, marking 45 years of excellence that helped country’s sports grow in leaps and bounds. The QOC was established in 1979 and since then the tireless efforts of the sports authorities have made Qatar one of the most important countries in the world of sports.
From clinching victories at the mega events including Olympics to hosting top-notch sporting contests, Qatar has achieved tremendous success over the years, and the establishment of QOC had marked the start of this successful journey. Under H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the QOC President, the sports development has picked top gear in the recent years achieving new milestones.
“The Qatar Olympic Committee has played an important and prominent role over the past 45 years in spreading sports, supporting and developing the Olympic movement, and achieving unprecedented victories in the various tournaments and championships in which Qatari athletes have participated and won numerous medals regionally, continentally and internationally,” said Secretary General of the QOC Jassim bin Rashid Al Bouenain.
QOC joined the International Olympic Committee in 1980, and the Asian Olympic Council in 1981. It also joined the Union of National Olympic Committees of the Arab Countries in 1982. Over the years, Qatar – home to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – has gained rich experience with QOC hosting the major competitions including the World Handball Championship, World Gymnastics Championships and World Athletics Championships. World Aquatics Championships Doha 2024 – the latest event to be organised by the QOC in February – achieved unparalleled success, adding to the series of Qatari strides at the level of organising the world championships.
Through its extensive development programme to support sports persons, Qatar has also produced world class athletes like high jump maestro Mutaz Barshim and weightlifter Fares Ibrahim, who both clinched gold medals at Tokyo Olympics. While Qatari athletes have been enjoying success at global, continental and regional stages, winning eight Olympic medals – two gold, two silver and four bronze – is country’s most prominent achievement.
The most positive aspect is that the QOC officials are continuously working towards bringing improvement, setting new targets on the road to success. Their all-out support and motivation is bringing the best out of athletes at international stage. The recent honouring ceremony, led by the QOC President, to felicitate promising Team Qatar stars who excelled at the recently-concluded first GCC Youth Games UAE 2024 is an example how Qatar back their athletes. The Team Qatar athletes are now expected to achieve more success as fans hope to see them on the podiums at this year’s Paris Olympics.
