The sixth edition of the Schools’ Olympic Programme (SOP) came to a close yesterday after two days of final events at the Aspire Zone, capping a year of activities focused on business and entrepreneurial skills among nearly 10,000 students across Qatar.
Students from over 170 schools attended the finals of national competitions in 10 different sports, and participated in a series of business-related activities that were delivered by Enterprise Qatar (EQ) - the state’s entrepreneurship support organisation. EQ, in partnership with the Qatar Olympic Committee and in conjunction with the Supreme Education Council, is in charge of managing the SOP.
The 2013 ‘Sport and Investment’ theme drew on EQ’s knowledge of how to build entrepreneurial thinking to encourage prospective entrepreneurs to turn their business dreams into reality.
“We are very happy to have partnered with the Qatar Olympic Committee for this year’s SOP,” said Noora al-Mannai, CEO of Enterprise Qatar. “EQ’s mission is to create a vibrant ecosystem that allows entrepreneurs and SMEs to flourish in Qatar, and we are excited about the enormous potential represented by the students who have taken part in this year’s activities.”
She added that the students who developed new skills in this year’s SOP can rely on EQ to support their business ideas.
“With Qatar set to grow into a leading international sporting hub, there will be many opportunities for local entrepreneurs who are interested in following their passion and working in sports,” she said.
Over the course of two days at Aspire Zone, EQ organised three different competitions that focused on skill-building in product design, marketing, sales and accounting as part of the theme.
Female winners were presented medals on Thursday while their male counterparts were awarded on Friday.
The event attracted the support of many government and sporting dignitaries.
