Rio de Janeiro: The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) celebrated one of the proudest moments in its history yesterday by welcoming high jumper Mutaz Barshim to Bayt Qatar as the nation’s first Olympic silver medalist.
QOC President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and Secretary-General Dr. Thani Abdulrahman Al Kuwari joined the ceremony in the souq area of QOC’s hospitality house.
Brazilian and Qatari crowds came together to wave Qatari flags and share in the celebration in the true spirit of Olympism.
Barshim entered the souq behind the bicycle used in the Rio 2016 opening ceremony and received huge cheers. He was then welcomed to stage and shown a surprise film with the highlights of his victory, before silver confetti was fired into the air.
Barshim said: “When I was young, I used to watch my father and other great athletes and dreamt of standing on the podium at the Olympic Games.
“Today, at the age of 25, I celebrate winning my second Olympic medal and for me that is such a blessing. It was a great competition and having HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani in the crowd supporting me every step of the way was extra motivation.
“Not only that, but the first call I received after the competition was from Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
“None of this would have been possible without the help of my parents, everyone in my country and God.
“I felt like the whole nation was behind me, supporting me every step of the way. This medal is for each and every one of you! I’m incredibly happy. Thank you!”
The 25-year-old cleared 2.36m, second only to Canada’s Derek Drouin who jumped a season best 2.38m in an intense final at the Olympic Stadium, where Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko took the bronze medal clearing a height of 2.33m. Dr. Al Kuwari said: “All of us at QOC are extremely proud of Mutaz and his achievement — a historic first for Qatar.
“We are very pleased to celebrate his achievement in Bayt Qatar, with the citizens of Rio, as it represents our main goal of uniting people in celebration of sport.
“We hope that his silver medal is a stepping stone for him to even greater things and an inspiration to Qatari youth to always aspire for more.
“Bayt Qatar is a home away from home for Mutaz and all our athletes, and we hope that tonight has given him a piece of Qatar to keep with him ahead of his three remaining competitions before he returns to Qatar later this year.”
Immediately after the ceremony, the star high jumper was presented with a flag signed by the Qatari delegation and later attended a cocktail reception at Bayt Qatar’s illustrious Athletes Lounge, along with Sheikh Joaan, Dr. Al Kuwari and other members of the Qatari delegation.
After the Games, the historical Casa Daros building, which houses Bayt Qatar, will be turned into a bilingual school and QOC will contribute to construction of the school’s library as part of its legacy after Rio 2016.
Bayt Qatar has seen an incredibly warm welcome by Rio’s residents, with tickets selling out until the end of the Games after four days of opening. All ticket proceeds will be donated to Brazilian NGO Futuro Olimpico, which aims to support Rio’s promising young athletes.
The Peninsula
