Ooredoo has partnered with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) to support the ‘Ooredoo Doha Marathon’ for three years, it was announced yesterday.
As official sports tourism partner for the coming three editions of the annual event, QTA will help lay the foundations for marketing and promoting the marathon internationally to further position Qatar as a premium destination for mass participation sports events.
As part of the partnership, a new ‘Invitational Elite Half Marathon’ category will be introduced, creating an opportunity for some of the world’s top athletes to participate.
For the upcoming edition, scheduled on January 12, QTA will facilitate the attendance and participation of several international athletes in the marathon, whose names will be revealed in the upcoming weeks.
“We are delighted to be working with QTA to make the next three marathons the very best they can be for Qatar’s people and its visitors,” Ooredoo CEO Waleed al-Sayed said.
“By opening a special category for international athletes, we hope to further inspire the community to join in and get fit, as well as help mould the next-generation of Qatari athletes,” he added.
As part of the partners’ shared vision for inspiring Qatar’s communities to adopt a healthier lifestyle, the international athletes will be visiting local schools and universities to talk about the benefits of sports and their experience as a professional athlete.
“Over the past five years, the Ooredoo Doha Marathon has grown to become the largest mass participation event in Qatar,” QTA’s acting chairman Hassan al-Ibrahim said.
Held in the pleasant winter weather, he noted that the marathon celebrates the power of sports to bring people together, citizens and residents, against the backdrop of Doha’s iconic cityscape, giving it great potential to be an attractive sports tourism product.
Now in its sixth year, registration for the 2018 edition of the Ooredoo Doha Marathon is open, and everyone is encouraged to share their plans to run, and their training progress using the hashtag #ooredoo_doha_marathon on social media.
Registration fees range between QR100 and QR250 depending on the participant’s selected course and age.
According to Ooredoo, 100% of this year’s registration fees for the marathon will be donated to charity.
To help with the marathon’s organisation and to ensure a range of attractive prizes, several local agencies and companies will also support this annual event.
ooredoo-qta
