Doha: The Organising Committee of the Schools Olympic Program (SOP) has launched the eighth edition of the hugely successful annual programme with an opening ceremony signalling the start of the competitions yesterday.
The SOP, held since 2007, consists of multisport competition among schools in Qatar for students aged 5 to 18.
It aims to encourage an active and healthy lifestyle amongst young people, promote Olympic values and grow sports participation in Qatar.
The opening ceremony, held at Al Sadd Stadium, was attended by numerous participating schools, representatives of Maersk, the official partner of the programme, as well as several high-ranking officials from the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) including Secretary General Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
After the ceremony concluded, basketball, football, athletics and para-athletics games began. Sports included in the programme are tennis, shooting, athletics, handball, volleyball, table tennis, basketball, football, gymnastics, fencing, and swimming. This year’s SOP sees the addition of taekwondo, bringing the total number of sports in the programme to 12.
Para-table tennis competitions will also feature in this year’s competition schedule.
The programme has seen increasing participation across Qatar since it began in 2007, growing from just over 7,000 students in its inaugural year to an astounding 26,454 students last year, when the programme was held under the theme of Sport and Integrity.
The SOP has partnered with the Qatar Olympic Academy and Reach Out To Asia, a member of the Qatar Foundation, to provide this year’s theme of ‘Sport and Peace’.
It aims to educate schools, teachers, parents and students about the Olympic values of friendship, respect, hard work and leadership through entertaining and informative activities, presentations and contests.
Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said: “The Schools Olympic Program has become a regular and celebrated fixture of the school calendar over the last seven years and we are delighted to see it go from strength to strength.”
“One of its key aims is to help pupils discover sport and encourage them to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. It has also become an important part of our nation’s sporting pathway, giving young people the chance to play sport in a competitive but friendly environment and promoting the importance of the Olympic Values along the way. We are supporting the development of an exceptional generation of athletes who will be prepared, show great sportsmanship and who embody the future of Qatar,” the Secretary General added.
Qatari gymnast Rahma Al Dulaimi, who just recently competed in the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, participated in earlier editions of the SOP, as did fellow gymnast Nadine Wahdan, who is in Incheon, South Korea for the 2014 Asian Games.
Speaking about her participation, Rahma said: “I really enjoyed the Schools Olympic Program. It gave me good experience of performing in a competitive environment and set me up very well for competing at an international level.
“It also taught me about the Olympic values, and the importance of staying fit and healthy, which I think is important for students across our country to learn. I was very proud to participate in the Youth Olympic Games last month and the Schools Olympic Program played a very big part in my achievements. I am grateful that it has helped me become the athlete that I am today.”
Khalil Al Jaber, SOP Executive Director and Chef-de-Mission of the Qatari team at the Asian Games, said:“Our objective is to provide opportunities and support for athletes in Qatar right from the first moment they first pick up a ball or set foot on a running track. The Schools Olympic Program is part of that early support and its success as part of Qatar’s sporting pathway is evident in the growing pool of promising athletes that are competing on an international level. Most recently that success was seen at the Youth Olympic Games and will continue this month as 252 athletes compete at the Asian Games and other world-class events.”
The Schools Olympic Program will continue throughout the school year, with the finals taking place in March 2015.
The SOP is striving to achieve the ambitions of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy to increase sports participation and promote an active healthy lifestyle in Qatar.
The Peninsula
