DOHA: The Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), H E Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, inaugurated the International School Sport Federation (ISF) Convention at the Doha Marriott Hotel yesterday.
Altogether 83 officials, representing 51 nations, were present at the event, which will conclude today.
The opening session of the convention was also attended by ISF President Laurent Petrynka and the chairpersons of the continental federations and members of the ISF Executive Committe.
QOC Assistant Secretary General for Administrative Support, Meshaal Al Khalifa, and Director of the QOC Sport Affairs Department, Khaleel Al Jabir, were also present.
The Qatari delegation at the convention was chaired by the Qatar School Sport Association (QSA) Secretary General Ali Al Hitmi and included QSA Executive Director Abdulrahman Al Muftah and QSA Assistant Secretary General Nasser Al Malki.
Sheikh Saoud gave a welcome speech in which he greeted the attendees and lauded the cooperation between the QOC and the ISF, especially during the hosting of the ISF World Schools Tennis Championship 2015.
For his part, ISF President Petrynka extended his appreciation to the QOC for its support to the Qatar School Sport Association and for its keenness to provide an ideal atmosphere for school sports.
Petrynka also lauded the faithful efforts of the QSA officials and their organisational abilities that contributed to the exception edition of the ISF Schools Tennis Championships which concluded recently in Doha.
QSA Secretary General Ali Al Hitmi gave the speech on behalf of the Qatari delegation at the ISF Convention. He stressed that the convention reflects ISF’s trust in the Qatar’s abilities.
Sheikh Saoud and Petrynka also signed a cooperation agreement between the ISF and the Qatar Olympic Academy. The agreement aims at developing school sports in the state of Qatar and the whole world.
In an interview after the opening session, QSA Executive Director Abdulrahman Al Moftah said the ISF Convention will focus on a number of issues, including marketing and media as the ISF aims at developing a new vision for the future.
Al Moftah confirmed that the ISF officials will attend the final competitions of the Schools Olympic Program to be held at Aspire Academy of Sport Excellence on Friday.
THE PENINSULA
