Doha: Aspire Zone Foundation has once again extended their support to major sports events in Qatar by hosting the second edition of the Qatar International Taekwondo Open which will start tomorrow. Organised in collaboration with the Qatar Taekwondo and Judo Federation the three-day event takes place at the Aspire Ladies’ Sports Hall.
The inaugural edition of the championship was a huge success at Aspire Zone last year. The tournament in 2015 was a hit in both technical and organisational levels, and provided the local Taekwondo players with an opportunity to interact with their international counterparts.
Commenting on the tournament, Mohammad Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Acting CEO of Aspire Zone Foundation, said: “Aspire Zone Foundation continually provides comprehensive logistical and professional support and expertise to major sports events that take place in Qatar, given its role as the State’s premier sports destination.”
“Through its continuous collaboration with local, regional and international sports entities and federations, Aspire Zone Foundation has become the top destination of choice for organisers of sports events and activities”.
He added: “The main goal of organising such tournaments is to elevate the performance of local athletes by providing an opportunity for them to participate in international sports events in a competitive environment. This contributes towards fulfilling Aspire Zone Foundation’s aim of developing local sporting talents into champions of sports excellence, and its vision to be the reference in sports excellence by 2020”.
Mohamed Ahmed Alsulaiti, President of the Qatar Taekwondo and Judo Federation, said: “The organisational and technical success of the first edition of the tournament was promising, and we are certain that this edition will be an important milestone in the journey of Qatar’s team, and reflect positively on their skills and competition fitness”.
He also said: “For the second time, we will reaffirm Qatar’s capabilities of hosting sporting events of this magnitude given the facilities and services available at its various sports institutions, the best of which is Aspire Zone Foundation, which turn the various tournaments and events Qatar hosts into unforgettable experiences for all participating athletes”.
Aspire Zone Foundation provides comprehensive support to the championship’s organisational, logistical, information technology and marketing aspects. The Foundation’s venue management team has lent its expertise to the Federation in aspects such as planning and venue management, to ensure the success of the tournament.
The championship will also take advantage of Aspire Zone Foundation’s Integrated Event Management system – Bridge – to support some of the key operational functions of the event.
Bridge is an integrated application suite designed to support end-to-end operations of major sporting and non-sporting events and is developed in-house within Aspire Zone in line with global standards and industry best practices.
In addition, Aspire Zone is supporting the Taekwondo Championship with the Event Operations and IT technical support services required for the successful execution of the tournament.
The Foundation is also providing marketing and promotional support to the championship through broadcasting, on its various social media channels, information and updates on the various outcomes of each stage of the championship.
In addition, Aspetar – the leading orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital and member of Aspire Zone Foundation – is providing medical support to the tournament to enable the participating players to compete at their maximum potential. The support includes a team of medical experts, physicians and consultants who will be providing a comprehensive list of medical services.
The championship is considered one of the most important events in the taekwondo calendar and it will also prepare the players for the qualifiers of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The previous edition saw the participation of more than 45 countries including Qatar, France, Korea, and Uzbekistan, in addition to a number of other top-ranked countries in taekwondo.
The Peninsula
