Doha: A six-a-side football tournament at the Aspire Academy will draw attention on the National Sport Day, which will be held on February 12 in Doha and across Qatar.
The tournament, which features 32 teams divided into eight groups, will culminate in the Final on the National Sport Day after 20 days of energetic competition.
The event, officially named “Al-Arab Football Championship” and held under the patronage of Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), began on January 19 and includes teams formed by private companies, public authorities and embassy staff.
The tournament is a useful reminder of the importance of the National Sport Day, encouraging all public and private institutions in the Country to follow the lead of the involved companies and develop ideas to celebrate sport. Starting in 2014, the annual tournament will also feature a women’s competition, highlighting the importance of sport as a creator of equal opportunities.
This initiativejoins a full programme of activities for the National Sport Day; the public response has been fantastic, with plenty of registration for the sport programme, more than 700 volunteer applications and thousand of interactions on Facebook and Twitter.
Qatar’s elite athletes also pledged support to the National Sport Day in the role of official Ambassadors of the event.
The National Sport day is celebrated every second Tuesday of February and is an initiative adopted by H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent.
Across the country, ministries, government departments, public and private sector organisations and sports clubs will be organising sporting activities for all on February 12.
The event aims to create awareness about sports and its health benefits.
The Peninsula
