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Doha – Qatar

The Ministry of Transport and Communications today marked the National Sport Day 2020, which is celebrated annually across Qatar on the second Tuesday of February.

This year’s celebrations were held at Al Bidda Park under the slogan “Be Active”. MOTC was joined by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), Qatar Aeronautical College (QAC), Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar), Mowasalat (Karwa), Qatar Rail, the Qatar National Broadband Network (Qnbn), Qatar Navigation (Milaha), the New Port Project (NPP) Steering Committee, QTerminals and Mada - Qatar Assistive Technology Center.

The event opened with exercising walking and some women’s exercises, followed by several sporting activities like football and basketball in addition to sporting and entertaining activities for all ages.

The event also featured several group games like tug of war, interfamilial challenges, mental games and folklore games for kids.

On this occasion, Mr. Hassan Al Hail, Advisor to HE the Minister, said, “The National Sport Day reflects the wise leadership’s vision for human and society development. The day represents an important message for making sport an integral part of the culture and lifestyle of individuals and society, as well as an investment in the human capital.”

He emphasized Ministry’s keenness to take part in the National Sport Day along with transportation and communications organizations to raise awareness of the importance of sport and its key role in community development and welfare, and to promote the practice of sport amongst all people to become part of a healthy lifestyle.

MOTC’s participation translates the vision of partnership with all state entities to promote sport to help build healthy individuals capable of contributing to the process of development and to the Qatar National Vision 2030 where the human element is the most important pillar, Mr. Al Hail added.

The day was characterized by a wide participation from employees and their family members, led by senior officials from transportation and communications sectors.

For his part, HE Mr. Abdulla bin Nasser Turki Al-Subaey, President of the CAA, said that this qualitative initiative launched by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, according to Emiri Resolution No. 80 of 2011 regarding the establishment of the Sports Day for the state, contributes to the dedication of sports community concepts and reinforce Qatar's position as a pioneer in the sports field, pointing to what this initiative has achieved over the past eight years, to establish a sport culture and raise awareness among various groups of society of its importance in maintaining a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

He added: "because we believe in the important role of developing and maintaining a person’s physical, mental and professional abilities, we are keen to actively participate in the activities of the National Day organized by the Ministry of Transport and Communications annually, because of our belief in the role of sports activity in strengthening social partnership within the work environment, as well as the importance of participating in sports teams which enhance communication and partnership between employees of different agencies and institutions, which reflects positively on increasing productivity, ensuring welfare and achieving development."

“National Sport Day is an annual reminder to the people of Qatar of the importance of sports and healthy lifestyle, CRA ensures to annually participates and engages the employees and their families in the related activities by educating them about the importance of healthy eating and exercise for individuals and society and in reducing health risks associated with a low-mobility lifestyle. Besides, we take advantage of the sports activities to strengthen teamwork spirit among our employees, so we work together towards achieving our main goal of developing the Information and Communications Technology and Postal sectors in Qatar," said His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al-Mannai, President of CRA.

HE Sheikh Jabr bin Hamad Al Thani, Director General of QAC, “The State of Qatar, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir, paid great attention to sports and physical activity and made it one of the priorities and center of interest. The government raised the nation’s awareness to practicing sports activities and insists on how essential it is to save the health of the citizen and the resident alike.”

“Our country has invested in its human capital, which is by far the best investment, and as physical activity contributes to improving our quality of life and leads to a happier, healthier citizen and resident. Regular exercise makes our nationals more confident and mentally stronger hence keener to achieve set goals and be successful in their career and in other aspects of life,” he added.

He also affirmed that aviation experts including pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers, and employees in the aviation industry in general, understand the importance of including a regular physical activity in their daily life, for instance, one of the requirements to join Qatar Aeronautical Academy and other aviation training centers is to pass specific medical tests therefore be physically and mentally very fit. As the aviation sector is very demanding and relies on the individual ability to perform their role with high skills and capabilities which require strong mental and physical fitness.

“We extend our sincere gratitude and congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the country, on this special day dedicated to Sports.”

Dr. Eng. Ahmed Salman Alsulaiti - the CEO of Qnbn, said, "The allocation of our government's good governance to a Sports day reflects its supreme vision of interest in a healthier community by promoting the importance of sport and values of sport for its positive reflection on the safety and health of the individual, in line with the National vision of Qatar 2030  and the social vision of the vision, to cover all aspects of preventive and curative health care, and to take care of both physical and psychological health, taking into account the different needs of all members of the society.”

He added, “The success of this idea, which was Qatar was the first country in the world to initiate this initiative, has proved to be a major initiative and growing yearly, the celebration through various activities and events offered by ministries, institutions and enterprises for citizens and residents.”

Capt. Abdulla Mohamed Al-Khanji, CEO of Mwani Qatar, commented: “The wide participation on the National Sport Day shows the increasing awareness of members of the community to the importance of exercise and its positive impact on health. This confirms the success of the objectives that our wise leadership planned to achieve by allocating an annual day for sport to build a healthy and strong society.”

“Mwani Qatar’s participation in the National Sports Day activities of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and transport stakeholders reflects our keenness to promote sports, a healthy lifestyle among employees and their families. We are seeking to transform sport into a daily habit for our employees”, He said.

“By participating in this lively day, we encourage employees to follow healthy habits and lifestyles as well as promote activity in Qatar. we look forward for sports to be part of the daily program of everyone as it helps in building a strong society”, He added.

"Every year, Milaha celebrates this special occasion to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to the advancement of our nation's vision and long-term goals," said Milaha President and CEO Abdulrahman Issa Al Mannai.

"This year, we have partnered with the Ministry of Transport and Communications to promote our shared values and further bolster human development, a key pillar of our National Vision 2030."

Mr. Fahad Saad Al-Qahtani, Mowasalat (Karwa) CEO, said, “National Sports Day is an opportunity to improve the lifestyle, and it represents a strong boost for every citizen and resident who wishes to change their lifestyle for the better. Qatar dedicates a special day for promoting sports, which indicates its importance in our society. It also proves the State's interest in the health of all its people, in a unique initiative that is evident on this day, and to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030.”

“Mowasalat (Karwa) participation is based on its commitment to enhance and promote such initiatives for a better healthy lifestyle. The objective of Sports Day is not only to encourage people to enjoy sports activities, but also to raise awareness of the importance of physical health.”

“This opportunity allows Mowasalat employees to participate and display their sport skills in a competitive atmosphere. Mowasalat has always been keen to spread the culture of sports among its employees to promote health and positive energy and achieve personal consent and satisfaction. It is also a chance for fair competition in various sports, social and cultural events and competitions organized by the State and by Mowasalat throughout the year, as Mowasalat facilitates sports equipment and playgrounds for all sports. We should mark this day as a fresh start for the exercise of sports sustainably for a healthy and better life."

“We are proud to be part of the National Sports Day and support Qatar National Vision 2030. By organizing this exciting day full of entertaining activities for our employees, we encourage them and all members of the community to follow healthy habits and style as well as help to promote a healthy, vibrant and energetic lifestyle in Qatar," said Mr. Neville Bissett, CEO, QTerminals.

"Showing a sense of pride and belonging to this country is one of the core values of our company, and we demonstrate this pride and belonging through our contribution to realizing its national vision," he added.

Eng. Nabil Mohammed AlKhaldi, Hamad Port Project Executive Director emphasized that HPP interest in participating in the National Sports Day’s activities, stems from our deep belief that investing in building a healthy people is the secret of success to increase performance and production rates all over various fields. 

Furthermore, this day is distinguished, all of us are celebrating of the National Sports Day to establish the foundations of fraternity, solidarity and participation among all segments of society, including citizens and residents, young and old, to practice group sport activities, which embrace team spirit, unity and community.

Mr. Khalifa Hassan Al Jehani, Chief of Corporate Support at Qatar Rail said: "Our participation in the Qatar Sports Day stems from our belief in the importance of the physical activity. This in turn significantly contributes in reducing the pressures of the day to day work life and helps in achieving physical and psychological balance. At Qatar Rail we run year-round sports tournaments for the staff as we strongly believe that QNSD message should be embraced all year round.”

“This year the public can use Doha Metro to go to various locations to attend the activities held on this day. The metro represents a healthier choice to travel, where you can walk or cycle to reach the stations and build this exercise in your daily exercise routine.”

The day ended with an excellent atmosphere. Participants hailed it was well organized and rich with entertaining activities and events that ignited the spirit of participation and competition.