Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) president HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani on Wednesday graced the graduation ceremony of Qatar Olympic Academy (QOA) students at the QOC Towers.
At a well-attended ceremony, the QOC chairman handed over degrees and souvenirs to 57 students who graduated in the Master of Sports Law Program and Diploma in Sports Management affiliated with the QOA. Wednesday's ceremony witnessed the graduation of three batches for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Second Vice-President of QOC Dr Thani al-Kuwari was also present on the occasion. Among those present at the ceremony, the QOC secretary-general Jassim Rashid al-Buainain delivered a speech congratulating the fresh batch of QOA graduates.
“This day is a source of pride for us, not only in the Qatar Olympic Academy, but in the entire sports industry as we celebrate the graduation of new batches of students with a total number of 57 students,” al-Buainan said yesterday.
“As the family of the Qatar Olympic Academy, the academic arm of the Qatar Olympic Committee, we are proud that this number of graduates is from inside and outside the State of Qatar. This big batch of 57 students will be of significant help in accelerating the development of the institutions to which they belong.
“These successful graduates will be the best ambassadors of the academy in their respective fields. We, every year, renew the promise to make more effort to always provide the students a platform for them to achieve their goals. This is why the Qatar Olympic Academy was established – to spread the sports and Olympic education through establishment of various programmes, courses and workshops. The diversity of lecturers and co-operation with international and continental institutions is done to develop a comprehensive plan to further the Olympic Movement.
“In conclusion, I thank all partners for the untiring support for us and for our programmes that we offer at the Qatar Olympic Academy. I congratulate all the students who worked hard to complete their degrees. I wish them success in their future endeavours,” he added.
Qatar swimming Nada Arakji also spoke on the occasion prior to receiving her degree from the QOC president.
In her speech she said: “I have the honour to appear before you on behalf of my colleagues to celebrate a historic moment in our collective careers of students of the Qatar Olympic Academy. We’ve all got the best of environment to chase our academic dreams away from active sports field. I am thankful to Qatar Olympic Academy for providing us with all the expertise and top-notch teaching methods to help us complete our degrees.”
She added: “We are fully armed with knowledge as we collectively join hands to push the Olympic Movement away from the playing field. I take this opportunity to thank our teachers and educators who helped us with their untiring efforts to share their knowledge with the students.”
The QOA started the First Master in Sport Law Program in co-operation with national and international organisations four years ago.
The first edition was successfully completed on December 2017 and currently is running the fourth edition in co-operation with the University of Lleida. The QOA is also affiliated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the International Olympic Academy (IOA), the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) and the QOC.
Founded in 2006, QOA is a member of IOA. The Doha-based institution is the first academy in the Mena region to offer professional educational programmes related to sports. The QOA’s ultimate goal is to become a leading academy for sports and Olympic education locally, regionally, and internationally.
In October 2014, the OCA signed an agreement with QOA to enable the Academy to provide academic and technical training sessions for coaches, referees, specialists and technicians from across Asia. The agreement also provides the opportunity for Asian athletes to train at QOA and its affiliated world-class facilities.
The QOA offers certificate programmes with an e-learning component in Sports Management, Arabic Coaching and Olympic Values and aims to build the first Arabic-specific sports and Olympic think-tank; the QOA Research Centre.
QOA is equipped with distinct lecture halls and an Olympic library with thousands of printed sources and sports educational films. QOA’s campus also holds a unique auditorium with a translation booth that allows for real-time interpretation of specific courses.