Mansour Rashid Al Naimi, Public Relations Manager, Qatargas (second from left), and Heather Ryan, QMIHA President (third from right) with some of the players at the ice rink of Villagio Shopping Mall in Doha.
DOHA: Qatargas will sponsor the Qatar Minor Ice Hockey Association (QMIHA) events for the 2013-2014 season, it was announced yesterday.
Qatargas’ support as ‘Pearl Sponsors’ comes as part of the company’s ongoing corporate social responsibility initiatives in the field of sport.
Mansour Rashid Al Naimi, Qatargas Public Relations Manager said: “We are very pleased to support Qatar Minor Ice Hockey Association during this season. Our support to the game of ice hockey forms part of a social investment strategy we adopted in supporting evolving sports and popularising it, thereby contributing to the goals of Qatar’s National Vision 2030.”
He added: “We believe that our support to these games, including ice hockey, will help popularize them in Qatar and introduce youngsters to this exciting sport.”
Heather Ryan, QMIHA President, said: “We would very much like to thank Qatargas for its generous support. This year we will have over 140 children playing ice-hockey here in Doha, including a number of Qatari nationals, representing a 17 percent increase in registration from last year.”
Ryan added: “Our players actively compete in tournaments throughout the GCC. Last season our Under-9 team won gold in Dubai, our Under-12 B&C won Silver in Abu Dhabi, our Under-12C won Bronze in Doha and our Under-15B won Gold in Abu Dhabi. Our children are true ambassadors of sports in Qatar.”
During the 2013-2014 season, QMIHA will also be cooperating closely with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) to ensure cross-training of aspiring young Qatari national ice-hockey players within the QMIHA.
QMIHA is a non-profit, amateur, youth ice hockey league established in 2001.
Operated by volunteers, QMIHA focuses on community service and promoting sports for youth.
The 2013-14 Ice Hockey Season began on 16 September and offers ice-hockey for both boys and girls from age 5 (beginners) right through to under-18s (bantam).
This season, QMIHA plans on hosting three regional ice-hockey tournaments, here in Doha, inviting teams from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and Saudi Arabia.
Qatargas was established in 1984, and pioneered the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry in Qatar. Today Qatargas, under the guidance of His Excellency Dr Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry of Qatar and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Qatargas, is the largest LNG producing company in the world, with an annual LNG production capacity of 42 million tonnes per annum (MTA) and is realising its vision to deliver LNG to its customers around the globe, from its world-class facilities in Qatar. THE PENINSULA
