+ A
A -
QNA
Doha
QATAR Olympic Committee (QOC) President His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani said that National Day celebration embodies many concepts and values as it is a commemoration of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed al Thani who laid the foundations of the modern State of Qatar.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE Sheikh Joaan said that National Day celebration is an occasion that shows the cohesion between the wise leadership and the people and residents of Qatar, adding that everyone living on this land is proud of the National Day owing to the development the country is witnessing in various fields.
He added that the slogan of this year's National Day celebration, 'Promise of Prosperity and Glory', has many meanings, especially as this statement was made by the Emir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani to serve as a reassuring message from the leadership to the people about the prosperous future that awaits Qatar and its citizens despite the current exceptional circumstances, which increased everyone's commitment to the country and loyalty to the leadership.
The QOC President pointed out that the current year witnessed many Qatari sporting achievements in different foreign events, which was the result of the great support given to the sport sector by HH the Emir.
He said that Qatar participated in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat and bagged 11 medals, including four each gold and silver and three bronze. Additionally, Qatar participated in the Islamic Solidarity Games in Azerbaijan's capital Baku and won 12 medals, including two gold, three silver and seven bronze.
Other outstanding accomplishments were the achievements of the special needs team who won two gold, two silver and one bronze medals at the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2017 in Ramsau, Austria, he noted. Furthermore, the special needs team won a gold and a silver medal at the World Para Athletics Championships in London, he added.
HE Sheikh Joaan noted that the beach volleyball team won four out of five Asian Championships in 2017: Bara Master in Satun in Thailand, Qatar Masters in Doha, Grand Osaka in Japan and South Sumatra in Indonesia. He also said that the team won the 26th edition of the Arab championship in Oman, pointing out that the beach handball team won the sixth Asian championship in Thailand, qualified for the 2018 World Championship in Russia and achieved the bronze medal at the 10th World Games in Wroclaw, Poland.
HE Sheikh Joaan said that there were many outstanding achievements in 2017 by Qatari athletes, most notably the Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim, who won a gold medal in the high jump competition at the World Athletics Championships in London. He also was the champion of the 2017 Diamond League after winning the first place in the five rounds (Doha, Shanghai, Oslo, Birmingham and Zurich).
Furthermore, Barshim won the 2017 Best Athlete of Asia Award, which is granted by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), he said, pointing out that all these achievements resulted in Barshim being named International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) male athlete of the year.
He added that World Athletics Championships held in London also witnessed the excellence of the runner Abdalelah Haroun who won the bronze medal in 400 metres.
The QOC president pointed out that the promising Qatari weightlifter Fares Ibrahim accomplished various achievements in 2017, most notably two gold and one silver medals at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tokyo and two gold and one silver medals at the Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships in Nepal. Additionally, Fares won a 94 kg silver at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, California, in early December.
HE Sheikh Joaan further said that Qatar hosted more than 80 local, continental and international competitions in different games this year, which confirms Qatar's position as a capital for sports in the world.
HE Sheikh Joaan pointed out that QOC launched a new identity and strategy this year, which marks the beginning of a new phase in the history of sport and Olympic movement in Qatar, adding that the new identity and strategy seek to realise more achievements in the field of sport, which is one of the pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
He added that the current year saw the QOC make a remarkable effort regarding the future phase as the Qatari athletes' development pathway project 'Be An Athlete' was announced as complete. The joint project between QOC and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education aims to prepare new generations of Qatari athletes in various sports through sport federations.
HE Sheikh Joaan said the project aims to spread the culture of sport in all sections of the society. The beginning will be at schools to instil the spirit of sport in the future generation, reach a high level of awareness of sports and discover talent in schools. He also explained that Qatari athletes' development pathway project focusing on nurturing skills and abilities of talented individuals in order to help them achieve excellence.
In conclusion, HE Sheikh Joaan stressed on the important role of QOC in following up the preparations and readiness of the different Qatari teams for participation in future competitions and qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
