Doha-Qatar, Feb 02, 2012: Qatar National Sports Day, Qatar will observe its first National Sports Day on February 14, after an official decree by the Heir Apparent and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani dedicating the second Tuesday of February each year as a public sports day.
The QOC is overseeing preparations which will include the participation of every government and non-government institution and see all public sports facilities in Qatar open their doors to the public.
QOC General Secretary Sheikh Saoud bin Abdelrahman Al-Thani said:
“There has been a huge response from public and private bodies to organise events for the public to take part in right across Qatar. Every Government ministry will be involved as well as many non-government organisations and their employees.
“We are organising a wide range of events including public marathons and walkathons, and every sports club in Qatar will open their doors to the public from 7am until 8pm for free so people can try a range of sports for the first time. This important initiative will help to further embed sporting values into the nation’s culture and inspire local people to participate in sports activities.”
Noora Al Mannai, CEO of Doha’s Olympic and Paralympic Games bid 2020 added:
“Qatar is one of the very few countries in the world to dedicate a specific day as a public holiday for the practice and promotion of sport. This important initiative reflects the national vision to bring communities together through sport and encourage them to live more physically active lives.”
As well as the National Sports Day, this month also sees Qatar host a number of high profile international sports events including the Qatar Total Open Women’s Tennis Championships (a WTA Premier Event), the Qatar Sailing Open Championships, the 16th International Junior Table-tennis Championships, the 2012 Qatar Fencing Grand Prix and the Qatar Masters (part of the European PGA Tour).
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