Doha: The Beach Touch Rugby Challenge will kick off at the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, on April 17 Katara Beach No 4, it was announced yesterday.
The sports meeting will be hosted by Qatar Touch Rugby (QTR), with the participation of the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara as a cultural partner of the event.
The beach competition is the only one of its kind that will be organised officially in the Middle East and has some strong interest and backing.
The Director General of Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, said: “Katara has also hosted FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2015 AFC Qualifier Qatar, and the second GCC beach games. In addition, Katara hosts traditional marine events such as the Dhow festival, the Senyar Championship, and the Menya competition.”
Touch Rugby has been enthralling hundreds of thousands around the world since the early 60’s and the Katara beach tournament weekend will be no different.
The open division contest aims to pip the best of the best on the prominent soft sand and highlight the physical and social attributes that Touch Rugby has to offer.
QTR is affiliated and endorsed by the Federation of International Touch (FIT) acting as the governing body of ‘Touch Rugby’ in Qatar.
Touch Rugby or Touch, as it is known, is a minimal contact sport that is played worldwide.
The game is the world’s fastest growing sport and is participated in over 82 different countries including Qatar.
The Touch World Cup to be staged in Australia later this month will see 93 teams from 25 countries competing across nine divisions.
The Katara 2015 - Beach Touch Rugby tournament is predicted to attract a great deal of media attention both here and abroad and as such Integrated Engagement Communication (IEC) has been appointed marketing partner for the event.
IEC General Manager, Joe Kharrat indicated the importance of sponsors and partners saying: “Their presence not only provides plenty of entertainment and activities on the day but it reiterates their commitment to Qatar’s national Vision 2030”.
The all day spectacular will see Qatar’s finest touch rugby teams vying for the most prestigious beach title of year.
VIP’s, dignitaries, families, friends and lovers of sport are all expected to embrace the color, movement and excitement of this knock out event.
Teams will be divided into round robin groups before advancing into the elimination knockout phase ultimately leading to the finals.
It is noteworthy that Cultural Village Foundation – Katara, has provided adequate parking to accommodate the large number of teams and supporters expected, while QTR has arranged a free bus shuttle service from Doha Rocks to the venue.
The event is open and free to all public.
Further information could be gained from website: towww.qatartouch.qa
THE PENINSULA
