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Doha, Qatar: The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) will organise the Ramadan Football Championship for Communities from March 6 to 14 in Ain Khalid Al Furjan Playground for eight expatriate communities representing countries with a high labour population in Qatar.
The championship will be held in cooperation with the Qatar Sports for All Federation and in coordination with the community offices at the headquarters of the National Human Rights Committee.
The Ramadan Human Rights Football Championship aims to raise awareness of workers’ right to play football or any kind of sport as part of their basic rights related to physical and mental well-being, as physical activity contributes to improving workers’ health, and practicing sports is one of the tools to reduce stress and increase productivity.
Exercise is one of the tools to reduce stress and increase productivity. It has the potential to provide opportunities for workers to participate in sports activities, which benefits overall health and performance at work.
Director of Programmes and Education Department at the National Human Rights Committee Hamad Salem Al Hajri, said that the NHRC is organising this championship for spreading the spirit of tolerance and brotherhood among communities in Qatar.
He noted that the sports unite people from different cultures and promote common values of diversity, integrity and respect and achieve sustainability as one of the most important effective programs to preserve it.
Al Hajri said on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, during which people reach the highest levels of tolerance, this is a favourable opportunity to organise this social sports championship, which will enhance respect among people and exchange cultures, which is one of the basic human rights values.
He noted that workers can learn, through sports, to strive for collective goals, achieve fairness, unity and respect, especially respect for diversity.
Al Hajri said that sports, such as football, are an important means of communication between workers from different backgrounds and jobs, and help build team spirit and cooperation and work to strengthen social relations, which contributes to improving the work environment in general.
He said that eight communities will compete in this championship, four of which are African: the Kenyan, Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Ugandan communities, in addition to four Asian communities: the Indian, Filipino, Bangladeshi, and Nepalese communities.
Al Hajri said that the championship will start on March 6 with two matches, the first between Kenya and Nigeria and the second between India and the Philippines.
On March 7, Ghana will play against Uganda and Bangladesh against Nepal.
He pointed out that the semi-final matches will be played on March 13. The final and third-place matches will be played on March 14.
Al Hajri said human rights and sports are two increasingly linked topics in the contemporary world.
