It is heartening to see that National Sport Day is inspiring people to change their lifestyle and add a sport into their day-to-day life. Many times, such initiatives turn out into a holiday for people to laze around at home and the purpose loses out steam over the years. But Qatar National Sport Day has caught the imagination of the citizens and residents alike and keeping fit has turned out into a movement of sorts.
When an Amiri decree was issued eight years back, in 2011, announcing an annual National Sport Day on second Tuesday of every February, it was a path breaking and unprecedented move.
The initiative, under the Qatar National Vision 2030, was announced with the goal of promoting a healthy lifestyle among the community by introducing and engaging them in various sports activities over the day.
The Day has evolved over the years and everyone, including the Amir, take part in various events held all over the country. This year also saw participation from the top leadership and this in turn inspired the people as thousands were seen crowding the venues.
The day also goes beyond sports, it helps build a stronger bond among the community, nudging people to come step out of their home and get involved. When the whole world is worried about digital addiction of children and adults, initiatives like this will introduce them to the various other options available to keep yourself fit.
Keeping an active lifestyle helps maintaining a healthy body and mind and researches have proven that fit body and mind will not only help the individual but also the larger society by increasing the general productivity and by reducing the burden on the health sector.
Qatar was the first country in the world to introduce such a unique idea to foster a healthy lifestyle among its citizens and residents. And the success of the initiative can we gauged from the fact that there many more people using the cycle paths and jogging tracks build all cover the country.
The visionary thought of instilling a disciplined sport culture in the country is also visible in the fact that a good number players in Qatar’s Asian Cup winning team has been together from a very young age at the Aspire academy. Investing in the future, by providing them the resources, have proved effective with the historic victory.
Healthy people are great assets for any nation and Qatar, by providing a helping hand, has shown the way forward for a creating a healthy society.
