Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim with other officials during the National Sport Day event.
Doha, Qatar: Government entities marked Qatar’s National Sport Day with a wide range of sporting, recreational and awareness activities at Aspire Park, reaffirming the State’s commitment to promoting physical activity as a way of life and enhancing the health and wellbeing of society. The celebrations, held under this year’s slogan “I Chose Sport”, saw strong participation from officials, employees, families and members of the public.
Leading the celebrations, the Shura Council took part in National Sport Day activities at Aspire Park, with Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim affirming that the occasion reflects Qatar’s clear vision, under the leadership of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, to entrench sport as a daily practice that supports quality of life and builds a healthy, productive society In a press statement, H E Al Ghanim said allocating a national day to sport demonstrates a deep-rooted conviction in the need to move beyond seasonal initiatives towards sustainable behavioural practices within society. He noted that this year’s slogan embodies a shift towards recognising sport as a conscious and essential choice for individual health and social stability.
The Speaker highlighted Qatar’s achievements in the sports sector, stressing that the country has built a lasting legacy that goes beyond infrastructure to include advanced organisational capabilities and specialised expertise. He pointed to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as a prime example of how major sporting milestones can be translated into long-term societal value, particularly in supporting community sport and ensuring the effective use of facilities.
Secretary-General of the Shura Council H E Nayef bin Mohammed Al Mahmoud said the Council’s annual participation reflects growing societal awareness of the importance of physical activity in promoting public health and preventing unhealthy lifestyles. He added that the Council encourages its members and staff to adopt balanced lifestyles that positively impact wellbeing and work performance, while making full use of the State’s extensive sports facilities. The Shura Council’s participation included a gathering of members and staff at Aspire Park, where they engaged in various physical activities.
Meanwhile, people of all ages from around Doha came to visit the Aspire Academy’s annual event, which featured a series of Test Yourself challenges set up by Aspire Academy’s coaches.
The 11 different stations, organised by the Academy’s Sports and Football Departments, offered participants of all ages the chance to test their athletic abilities.
These activities included tests of reaction time, shooting accuracy, speed, vertical jump, flexibility and agility.
Aspire Academy’s Acting Director of Marketing and Communications Muneera Mohammed Hammam explained why the celebrations are a key date on the Academy’s calendar.
“There are several reasons why Aspire Academy sees this as a crucial event every year and why we are delighted to welcome so many visitors,” she said.
“This is part of our commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle in Qatar and encourage people to be active to help both their physical and mental well-being.” Each participant received a card to record their results and a certificate of completion at the end to recognise their achievement.
Several of those who took part and showed remarkable potential were offered a “Golden Ticket” in recognition of their exceptional achievements. These awards offer the recipients the chance to join Aspire Academy’s Pre-Academy Athletics Programme to develop their skills further.
The “Golden Ticket” scheme is now in its third year, and Peter Skoumal, Lead Athletics Coach at Aspire Academy, who is part of the talent spotting team, says it is proving a useful tool for his team.
“Several of the youngsters who have been given Golden Tickets have not only taken advantage of the opportunity to try out with our Pre-Academy Athletics Programme but gone one step further and are now part of the Pre-Academy training team,” he explained.
“It bodes very well for the future, and our big hope is that in the future, this event will uncover someone who will go on to be a full-time student-athlete at Aspire Academy.
There was also an opportunity to test their cognitive abilities in the "Think & Move" segment. These challenges offered participants the chance to engage in exercises that combined mental agility with physical movement.
Aspire Academy also hosted a National Sport Day Football Tournament featuring talented young players born in 2018from 10 clubs in the first and second divisions of the Qatar Stars League (QSL).
