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.
Islam Al Shafei, Physical Education Teacher at Al Ahnaf bin Qais Preparatory School, said: “It’s amazing to see more students each year and more sports added, so the programme becomes more complex, yet its organisation gets better every year.”
“Our students are always happy to take part in the programme and we too as it bolsters their passion for sports and gives them self-confidence.
“I have high hopes for coming editions of the programme which will no doubt continue to offer more to students across Qatar.”
Speaking after winning the gold medal in the 10m air pistol event, Abdulla Al Sulaiti, 12, from Al Ahnaf bin Qais Preparatory School said: “This is the first time I took part.
“It was so much fun and I’m still in disbelief over my win! It was a very tough final and so I’m incredibly happy to win. The programme has given me the opportunity to win my first medal while my friends and coach cheered me on,” he added.
Former participants include World Indoor High Jump Champion Mutaz Barshim, Rahma Al Dulaimi, who represented Qatar in last year’s Youth Olympic Games and Mariam Farid, the young hurdler who this week won silver in the 4th GCC Women’s Games in Oman.
Sponsors and partners organised activities on the sidelines to engage the public.
Maersk’s booth held a diabetes awareness programme and International Centre for Sport Security’s educational booth informed the public about Olympic Truce.
National federations also organised activities on the concluding day. Qatar Sailing and Rowing Federation set up a rowing machine open to all.
This year, the theme was ‘Sport & Peace’ and Reach Out to Asia was a partner. In keeping with the theme, QOC invited 20 students from Georgia to attend the finals, share experiences with their counterparts and visit facilities and cultural landmarks, as part a memorandum of understanding signed with Georgian Olympic Committee.
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