Engaging children early in sports could help build positive attributes that would benefit them as they grow older, a senior official of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has said.
According to SC Secretary-General Hassan al-Thawadi, “sports can communicate to children,” hence with early exposure to different types of sporting activities, he said kids could reap not only physical benefits but also leadership skills and other “higher values.”
“There is no doubt that the earlier children engage in sports, the earlier they become functioning and valuable members of the community,” al-Thawadi told reporters on the sidelines of Aspire Zone Foundation’s National Sport Day celebrations yesterday.
He also noted that “there is still room” for new types of sports in the country, citing the latest activities at Aspire Zone like kendo and dodgeball, among many others.
Al-Thawadi said: “Aspire Zone is the natural choice for us to celebrate National Sport Day. So many members of the country’s sporting family are here and we’re delighted to join them in building a lasting legacy of sporting participation and to encourage as many people as possible to adopt active, healthy lifestyles. It’s great to see so many members of the community here enjoying themselves on this truly special occasion and our colleagues are thrilled to be a part of it.”
Aspire Zone Foundation said it had teamed up with the Doha Kendo Club to bring back Japanese Kendo demonstrations for the second year running.
Abdulrahman Rashid al-Mohannadi, the president of the Doha Kendo Club, said his organisation’s participation in National Sport Day was designed to spread awareness and encourage participation in kendo.
“Qatari nationals participated in a range of activities alongside the country’s expat residents. Activities organised by Aspire Zone Foundation demonstrate how sport can bring people together across all backgrounds, nationalities and ages and build bridges of understanding between cultures. Reactions across Aspire Zone were enormously positive. Many of the people attending the day’s celebrations highlighted their determination to keep fit and active throughout the year, and to take advantage of the world-class facilities and infrastructure available at Aspire Zone. There was widespread appreciation for the lengths that Aspire Zone Foundation goes to in order to encourage active, healthy lifestyles,” the statement added.
Qatar / Qatar
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