Qatar University President Dr. Hassan Rashid Al Derham and QU Sports Federation President Dr. Ibrahim Al Nuaimi play table tennis at the event.
Doha: The Department of Sports Affairs at Qatar University (QU), in cooperation with the Qatar University Sports Federation, marked the International Day of University Sport under the slogan ‘Discover your sport’ which aimed to expand students’ horizons in choosing the appropriate sport.
The event was attended by Dr. Hassan Rashid Al Derham, President of QU; Dr. Ibrahim Al Nuaimi, President of QU Sports Federation; Dr. Iman Mustafawi, Vice-President for Student Affairs; Dr. Mohamed Diab, Assistant Vice-President for Student Affairs; and Asma Al Nuaimi, Director of the University’s Sports Affairs Department, as well as faculty, employees and students.
The event had many activities, including a tour around the sports and events complex track, and a visit to the group’s sports facilities. In addition, the students participated in discovering their sport by playing basketball, volleyball, and football matches and other sports.
In his statement, Dr. Al Derham, said: “More than 28,000 students attend Qatar University, and this is the biggest youth gathering in Qatar. It’s crucial for this age group to practise sports on a regular basis. Due to its infrastructure in the field of sports and the expansion of its organisational structures, the university has access to renowned and qualified sports coaches, and it constantly works to foster a culture of sports among its faculty, staff, and students.”
Dr. Al Nuaimi praised the turnout and the wide participation of male and female students from various institutions.
He said, “We are happy to celebrate the International Day of University Sports with a large participation of higher education institutions, universities, colleges, and stakeholders as our promising federation launches its first sporting events and community activities.
“This is in line with our crucial goal of promoting sports and physical activities in higher education institutions according to international standards; including it increases awareness of the concept of sport and its positive impact on the health of the individual among the student community and within the community system.”
Dr. Al Nuaimi explained that this nascent federation will move forward in implementing its plans and programmes starting from 2023 after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. He said its priority is investing students, employing their talent and skills into the national sports teams.
He added that the federation will work to develop the university sports system by organising local university sports tournaments, encouraging students’ participation in regional and international university sports competitions in higher education institutions and society.
