Qatar Olympic Committee secretary general HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani reviews plans of the GCC Beach Games. Right: Salah al-Saadi, head of Venues at QOC, Sheikh Saoud and Khalid al-Muhanadi, Executive Director of the GCC Beach Games, during the venue inspection.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee and President of the Organizing Committee for the 2nd GCC Beach Games, HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, completed a full inspection of host venues Al-Gharafa Club and Katara Cultural Village ahead of the Games beginning today.
Accompanying HE Sheikh Saoud on his tour were Executive Director of the Organizing Committee, Khalid al-Muhanadi, and Director of PR and Marketing at Qatar Olympic Committee, Mohamed al-Fadala. They confirmed the facilities were ready for action, with fun-zones already set up and eagerly awaiting spectators.
Over 300 athletes from around the GCC will participate in 13 events across eight sporting disciplines. The multi-purpose complex at Al-Gharafa Club will host the volleyball, handball, football and 3x3 basketball events, while Katara Cultural Village, situated on Doha’s Corniche, will host open water swimming, rowing, sailing and air sports.
Al Gharafa Sports Club will host the volleyball, handball, football and 3x3 basketball events, while Katara Cultural Village, situated on Doha’s stunning Corniche, will host open water swimming, rowing, sailing and air sports.
Sheikh Saoud said earlier: “It is an honour to be hosting the second edition of GCC Beach Games in Doha. The hosting of Beach Games is still a relatively young concept on the international sporting calendar and we aim to use our staging of this event to raise the profile of beach sports in Qatar, across the GCC and internationally in order to inspire greater participation and assist with their global growth and development.”
He added: “We hope that Doha’s stunning backdrop, ideal conditions and state-of-the-art facilities will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase beach sports to new audiences.”
The concept of a Beach Games was created by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) with the staging of the first-ever Asian Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia in 2008, and is seen as a pioneer in bringing new sports to the sand.
Executive Director of the Organizing Committee, Khalid al-Muhanadi, said: “We are happy with our preparations for the GCC Beach Games and we are on track to deliver on our commitments.
“We will make full use of our past experience of successfully hosting world-class events, such as the 2011 Arab Games, the 2014 FINA Swimming World Cup, and the recent Men’s World Handball Championship, to deliver an exceptional GCC Beach Games and further cement Doha’s role as a centre for sporting excellence.”
