Doha: The eighth Schools Olympic Programme finals ended yesterday with the participation of 3,126 students from 230 schools.
The tennis finals took place on Wednesday at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex and the finals of other sports were held in Aspire Dome.
The programme for students aged five to 18, was launched as a legacy of the successful 15th Asian Games in Doha in 2006.
Sports included tennis, shooting, athletics, handball, volleyball, table tennis, basketball, football, gymnastics, fencing, swimming, para-athletics and para-table tennis, and others. This year, taekwondo was added, taking the number of sports to 14.
Speaking at the medals ceremony, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary-General, Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), said: “It has been a pleasure to see the competitive spirit and sportsmanship of so many finalists over the last two days. “We have seen today not just the culmination of the programme but also fruits of eight years of success and incremental improvement. Sport is a vital part of education and the programme aims to spread Olympic values, develop healthy and responsible members of society and ensure sport becomes an integral part of everyday life.”
On Thursday, 1,395 female athletes from 112 schools took part in the finals of 14 sports and 1,731 male athletes from 118 schools took part in the finals at Aspire Dome yesterday.
Abdulla Al Sulaiti, 12, from Al Ahnaf bin Qais Preparatory School, who won the gold medal in 10m air pistol event, said: “This was the first time I took part in the programme. It was so much fun and I’m still in disbelief over my win! It was a very tough final and I’m incredibly happy to win. The programme has given me the opportunity to win my first medal as my friends and coach cheered me on.” The programme has grown from 7,000 participants from 300 schools in 2007 to 29,319 students from 544 schools this year.
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