The Director of Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Interior and official of the Organising Committee, Col Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah, with representatives of expatriate organisations yesterday. INSET: The logo.
DOHA: Several expatriate communities and schools will take part in the National Day celebrations on December 18 in a big way, with a wide range of activities lined up for them in four major venues across the country, including the recently-opened West End Part near Industrial Area.
The cultural and sports events themed “one love” are being held by the Committee of Associated Programmes for the National Day in collaboration with different expatriate community schools.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, the Director of Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and an official of the Organising Committee, Col Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah said the joint celebrations reflect the close relations between the citizens and the expatriate communities in Qatar.
He said that the Indian, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Malaysian, Filipino and Indonesian communities will participate in the activities.
The events will include folkloric performances, traditional shows, acrobatics and musical performances. Mana Ibrahim Al Mana, a member of the organising committee gave details of the programmes and activities during the press meet.
The full-day activities will start with the National Anthem at 8am and continue till 10pm. The events will be held in four locations — West End Park in Industrial Area, Al Wakrah Stadium, Al Rayyan Stadium and Al Khor Stadium.
Sixteen expatriate schools are participating in the cultural programmes and competitions.
They are: MES Indian School, Pak Shama, Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha, Nobel International School, Birla Public School, Ideal Indian School, Shantiniketan Indian School, Philippines School – Doha, Philippines International School, Scholars International School, Doha Modern Indian School, Pakistan Education Centre, Bangladesh MHM School, Bhavans Public School, DPS-MIS Indian School and Bright Future Pakistani International School.
Apart from cultural programmes there will be sports activities and competitions in each venue. A football match will be held in Al Khor, Rayyan and Wakrah stadiums, a volleyball match at Wakrah and a cricket match at West End Park cricket stadium.
A racing contest will be held for children aged below 10 and the general public at different venues.
The West End park open theatre with a capacity of over 14,000 people will witness cultural shows performed by Indian and Sri Lankan communities and thematic performances and group songs by students from MES Indian School, Stafford Sri Lankan School, Pak Shama and Noble International School.
There will be a Nepalese musical show on December 17 (4pm to 10pm), Indian musical show on December 18 (6pm – 11pm) and Philippine musical show on December 19 (6pm – 10.30pm) at West End Park amphitheatre.
All activities except these mega shows will be free. Tickets for the shows are priced from QR20 to QR200.
A second hand market — Q-Market — selling clothes, books, CDs, small furniture and household items at West End Park on December 18 will be a special attraction of the celebrations. The market will be open from 4pm to 11pm.
The West End cricket stadium that can accommodate over 12,000 people, will host a cricket match between Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi community teams on December 18. The matches will be managed by Lagan Cricket Club.
At Al Wakrah stadium with a capacity of more than 12,000 seats, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities will perform cultural shows, thematic dances, songs, comedy show and more.
Pakistan Education Centre, Bangladesh MHM School, Bhavans Indian School and DPS-MIS will compete with parade, songs, dances and thematic shows.
Al Rayyan Indoor stadium with the capacity of 3,000 people will see performances by Filipino, Malaysian and Indonesian communities as well as a competition between Philippines School — Doha, Philippines International School-Qatar, Scholars International School and Doha Modern Indian School.
The Al Khor Sports Stadium that can accommodate more than 12,000 people, will have performances by Nepalese expats and Al Khor community. Birla Public School, Ideal Indian School and Shantiniketan Indian School will compete with each other in parade, songs, dance and thematic show.
Free blood tests will be held at all venues in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Medical Services Department of the Ministry of Interior, Qatar Red Crescent and many private clinics.
Facilities will be available for blood donation as at West End Park and Al Rayyan sports stadium. First aid training will also be provided at all venues.
Dining and prayer areas, restaurants offering food at subsidised prices, emergency medical services and other necessary services will also be available.
The schools winning first, second and third places in competitions in each venue will be awarded QR10,000, QR7,000 and QR5,000 respectively. Winners and runners up of cricket tournament will be given QR10,000 and QR5,000, while winners in football and volleyball matches will be awarded QR5,000 and QR3,000.The Peninsula
DOHA: With the country gearing up for the National Day celebrations, the Traffic Department has advised motorists participating in the celebrations to keep away from daredevilry and strictly follow safety rules.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Department has cautioned the public against the common violations detected during such occasions. They include placing pictures, posters and flags covering the whole body of the car completely changing its color and appearance.
Shading windshield and rear windows preventing the driver's view and hiding the car plates are also prohibited.
Commuters have also been warned against climbing on the car roof and the bonnet and jumping out of the windows and sun roof of a moving vehicle. The Peninsula
