Doha: Ooredoo has announced its annual Marathon 2022, held on Friday after a delay due to ongoing COVID restrictions – was, once again, a phenomenal success.
The 2022 Ooredoo Doha Marathon, a much-anticipated fixture on Doha’s sporting calendar, was held at Lusail City for the first time. The starting gun was fired at 6.30am for the full and half marathons, with runners taking a route through the stunning scenery of Lusail City.
A phenomenal 2000 runners took their place at the start line, with 1745 participants taking part in the virtual event held from March 8-11. The Marathon saw professional runners who had flown in from overseas especially for the event competing alongside local running enthusiasts.
This year’s event featured the AlAdaam category for the first time, dedicated to Qatari runners and with prizes for winning competitors in the category.
Scores of Doha residents lined the streets to witness some of the world’s top athletes in action and to cheer on all runners. The Ooredoo Doha Marathon Village in Lusail Village also played host to runners and spectators.
The Marathon was held in the presence of Minister of Sports and Youth )who got the Marathon under way with a starting pistol.
Minister of Sports and Youth H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali with other officials prior to the start of the 2022 Ooredoo Doha Marathon.
The Minister later expressed his admiration of both the excellent organisation on the day and the remarkable development of the race facilities, especially the Ooredoo Doha Marathon Village.
Speaking about the event, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Thani, CEO at Ooredoo Qatar said: “We were beyond delighted to see so many runners at the start line for this year’s Ooredoo Doha Marathon; both the international athletes who travelled to Qatar to take part and the many, many local running enthusiasts who sign up and train throughout the year to run with us. We’re committed to supporting events that promote the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle as a key part of our corporate social responsibility strategy, and the Ooredoo Doha Marathon is quite possibly one of our most well-known demonstrations of this commitment within our community.”
“I’d like to offer our sincere gratitude to the many sponsors on board this year, and to the many volunteers, without whose support the event could not happen,” he added.
The annual marathon, first held in 2013, was designed to encourage Qatari citizens and residents to embrace a healthy active lifestyle. It has grown into a much-anticipated event and is now one of the most popular events on Qatar’s sporting calendar, attracting the cream of the international marathon crop and offering an opportunity for local running enthusiasts to run alongside the professionals.
In line with Ooredoo’s corporate social responsibility strategy and its commitment to supporting the communities in which it operates, funds generated from the Ooredoo Doha Marathon each year go directly to chosen charitable organisations. Qatar Foundation’s Ability Friendly Program – a programme dedicated to offering sporting opportunities to those with specific needs – is this year’s recipient of some of the funds.
