Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Program Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al Thani along with other officials during the press conference.
Doha, Qatar: The organising committee of the School Olympic Program (SOP) will launch the 17th edition of the program on Monday, September 25, with the participation of large numbers of public and private school students.
This was announced during a press conference held at the headquarters of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and attended by the chairman and members of the Organising Committee. It also witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Organising Committee of the SOP and the Qatar Foundation, through which the two parties aim to coordinate efforts and increase the number of program members from various educational institutions in the State of Qatar.
The Chairman of the SOP Organising Committee Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al Thani explained that the program was launched at the end of the 2006 Doha Asian Games, and that coordination with the QOC continues to make the program a success and discover talents that will support the various teams during the 2030 Doha Asian Games.
During the press conference, Sheikh Khalifa noted the role of the QOC, headed by H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, in supporting and making the Program a success, adding it has become one of the important pillars for discovering talented people in the country as well as all partners in the program.
The program this year, he said, will witness an increase in the number of competitions to become 19 sports instead of 17 in the last edition, as cricket and hockey will be added, in addition to enhancing girls’ competitions to be at the same level as boys, as part of the talented project to refine and follow up on the talents who stand out in the SOP.
Sheikh Khalifa also revealed that the program’s outputs last season included between 300 and 350 talented students, and between 280 and 300 talents at the girls’ level.
"Cooperation with the Collegiate Sports Federation aims to continue the journey in adopting talents after completing secondary school," Sheikh Khalifa said, highlighting the role of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Aspire Zone Foundation, and the Qatar Foundation and their fruitful cooperation aimed at making the SOP a success.
Sheikh Khalifa also revealed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the QOC and the Qatar Foundation, through which the Foundation will be a partner in the program during the coming period.
