Excitement is reaching fever pitch as Qatar is set to celebrate the National Sport Day (NSD) with a series of activities across the country involving the citizens and residents this Tuesday. The ministries, other government institutions and private sector will be organising hundred of events to mark the special day.
NSD’s main purpose is to promote sports and to educate the local population on ways to reduce health risks associated with an inactive lifestyle, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. Events to be held in Corniche, Aspire, Lusail and the Katara Cultural Village are expected to attract a huge number of participants as every corner of the country will witness such activations.
Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), headed by H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, also announced its plan to celebrate NSD, which is in its 12th edition. The QOC will organise several events and activities at Oxygen Park in Qatar Foundation, with participation of national federations, Team Qatar athletes, people with special needs, the QOC Family, schools and community members.
The new edition of the NSD will underline Qatar’s commitment to sports as the Gulf state is one of the first few countries in the world to dedicate a national holiday for sport to raise awareness for the importance of sport and its vital role for the life of individuals and communities.
While marking NSD, the QOC aims to highlight the concept of unity in sport by inspiring community members especially younger generations to take up sport and welcoming people of all backgrounds, genders and abilities to join the festivities.
This year’s NSD is coinciding with several major international events to be hosted by Qatar in the coming days. These top-notch competitions include the Qatar TotalEnergies Open – a WTA 500 event – starting from tomorrow. After the WTA tournament, elite players on ATP circuit will begin their quest for glory at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open that will take place from February 20 to 26.
The event will be followed by the Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel set to take place from February 26 to March 5.
Apart from the racket sports tournaments, Qatar will also stage the H H The Amir Sword Festival and Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Presented by Longines. Also this weekend, the Qatar Golf Association (QGA) will host the third leg of the 2023 Asian Tour and the second leg of the Asian Tour’s International Series at the Doha Golf Club. The tournament, which will feature 132 world-class professional golfers competing for prizes worth $2.5m will be held for the first time.
