Qatar Foundation Chairperson HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser kicked off this year’s National Sport Day activities at Qatar Foundation, leading the ‘Walk For A Cause’ to raise support for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria. The walkathon was held in collaboration with Qatar Charity.
HH Sheikha Moza was joined by Qatar Foundation Vice Chairperson HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani and Qatar Olympic Committee President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Community member Fatima Al-Mohannadi, who took part in the walkathon said the walk was the perfect way to start this year’s sports day, as it provided an opportunity to also show support for people in Türkiye and Syria.
Fun triathlon and more
Qatar Foundation also hosted a fun triathlon called Try-a-Tri, to create awareness about the sport and encourage more participation in it. Try-a-Tri was open to anyone who wished to try the sport, with distances in the adult and children categories. The event saw many experiencing a triathlon for the first time.
Brik Zine Eddine, a Try-a-Tri participant in his thirties, who works as a safety and security officer in a private company in Doha, said that the sports day provided him with the opportunity to get acquainted and participate in the sport.
In addition to the line-up of sports challenges and activities across Education City, the Education City Stadium was also utilised to host sports activities for women and girls only, hosting the semi-finals and finals of the women and girls football tournament.
Teams also compete in a functional fitness challenge made up of burpees, squats, mountain climbers, and others, using equipment such as rowing machines and medicine balls.
Inclusive, ability-friendly event
Ensuring that sports activities are inclusive, Qatar Foundation’s Ability Friendly Program and Renad Academy – a Qatar Foundation school – hosted games of basketball and football. With Qatar having hosted the most accessible FIFA World Cup, Qatar Foundation aims to contribute to a sporting and social legacy that can be accessible to people of all ages and abilities – reflecting that sport is there to benefit everyone, and that it can provide momentum for a culture of accessibility and a sense of empowerment that has enduring societal value.
Located at the Ceremonial Green Spine in Education City, schools under Qatar Foundation organised an array of exciting sports activities, where each student showcased their unique skills and interests.
Tariq Bin Ziad School presented traditional Qatari games, while students from Qatar Academy for Science and Technology (QAST) demonstrated Qatar athlete Mutaz Barshim’s high jump, and students from Qatar Leadership Academy showed their mastery of jiu-jitsu.
QAST Founding Director Dr Greg Moncada encouraged and cheered for QAST students. He said they chose Barshim’s jump this year as they want students to improve their ability to make graphs and work with data.
And so we had participants do vertical jumps. We will then use that data to help them figure out what were the highest, lowest, and average heights.
As their mission is to empower students to become innovators at every opportunity, he said that they try to have students do the work and learn that they can take what they learned and put it into action.
Qatar Leadership Academy Grade 11 student Nasser Jassim Al-Sayed said they represented jiu-jitsu because of its many benefits. Being a military school, he said that the sport is of particular importance for students as it provides them with a necessary skill after graduation.
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