A child participates in the fifth and final ‘Passport To Passion’ event at Education City yesterday. Shaival Dalal
DOHA: Over 300 children have taken part on each day in the activities organised by Qatar Foundation under the banner ‘Passport to Passion’. The fifth and last two-day event kicked off yesterday at the Awsaj Academy pitch at Qatar Foundation’s main campus and will conclude today, providing another opportunity for children to demonstrate their footballing ability.
The ‘Passport to Passion’ series is part of the ‘Passion Drives Us All’ initiative that is designed around Qatar Foundation’s partnership with FC Barcelona. Over the past few weeks, hundreds of players have participated in the weekend challenges that have touched down in five locations: The Museum of Islamic Art, Aspire Park, Katara Beach, Al Wakra Park and Qatar Foundation’s main campus.
“Footballers aged between 5 and 15 are called to take part in the activities today. They will have the opportunity to improve essential footballing skills, such as ball control, obstacles courses, passing accuracy, coordination, and heading ability,” explained Simon Jones, recreation supervisor at Qatar Foundation.
They will also have the chance to take part in a five-a-side competition, designed to test endurance, agility and overall technical skills on the pitch. During the event, professional trainers will be on hand to provide support to individual teams.
Participants will have to work as part of a team and demonstrate a spirit of sportsmanship during a testing sequence of relay races that will challenge their resilience and determination. Players will be required to dribble the ball, stop it with the sole of their foot, run and tag another team member, and race back to retrieve the ball before finally dribbling it back.
Ultimately, the ‘Passport to Passion’ finale aims to unite young football enthusiasts. The series has been created to promote values of perseverance, dedication, teamwork, and a positive ‘can-do’ attitude in youth.
Partakers from previous ‘Passport to Passion’ events are encouraged to attend this weekend’s activities at which giveaways will be distributed at a fun-filled family event.
Children that have played a part in all the events, collecting a passport for each of them, will receive a branded foot ball, while others will take home a goody bag.
Jones highlighted that the Qatar Foundation holds yearly events on the occasion of National Sports Day, which gathered over 12,000 people this year. The Peninsula
