The National Sport Day (NSD) Committee has announced that the activities of the 12th National Sport Day will be held under the slogan 'The Choice is Yours' Tuesday to highlight the importance of dedicating a sport day in the country, the Qatar News Agency reports.

Abdul Rahman Musallam al-Dosari, adviser to HE the Minister of Sports and Youth, and president of the NSD Committee, stressed during a press conference at Lusail Multipurpose Hall Sunday that National Sport Day has contributed greatly to raising awareness of the importance of sport in the lives of individuals and society.

He revealed that about 130 activities will be held this year in various parts of the country at locations such as parks and sports facilities, the Doha Corniche, Aspire Zone, The Pearl Island, Qatar Foundation, Lusail, Al Shamal, Al Sheehaniya, Al Wakra and other places, with more than 100 entities participating in the events.

The NSD activities have been distributed among different regions of the country, and these will be available to everyone since early Tuesday morning.

Al-Dosari said awareness of the importance of sport in society has increased since the first edition of National Sport Day was hosted in February 2012 following an Amiri Resolution of 2011. "This contributes to the realisation of Qatar National Vision 2030 through development of the human element in which Qatar has invested over the past years."

He noted that the sports infrastructure in the country includes pedestrian and cycling paths, totaling around 2,643km, more than 100 sports facilities in the country, and a large number of parks, green areas and beaches, etc.

The chairman of the NSD Committee explained that the slogan, 'The Choice is Yours', comprises many values and focuses on the goals of community sports through an individual's decision to exercise for a healthy, good and happy life.

Al-Dosari stressed the importance of community sports, which is a vital means to achieve these goals through three axes. The first is awareness of practising sports and the choice of an individual in terms of making sport a way of life. Second is the guidance axis, which is achieved through co-operation with partners at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), which has equipped some 30 centres in the country for comprehensive medical examination. The third axis is practice, which involves awareness and a "sense of responsibility towards yourself, your family and society".

The NSD initiative was launched in Qatar and found a huge global resonance based on the importance of sports and its ability to help prevent chronic diseases, enhance self-confidence, and bring about rapprochement with others, al-Dosari added.

He said all State institutions organise sporting events for their members and affiliates in accordance with Amiri Resolution No. 80 of 2011 to allocate a Sport Day for the State, in order to encourage everyone to participate in sporting activities with family members and colleagues.

The official also highlighted the Qatar Sports for All (QSFA) Federation's calendar, which includes 683 sports activities throughout the year, the largest launched by the federation since its inception. He said the goal is to create a state of community awareness of the importance of practicing sports, especially as QSFA's sporting events target different segments of society, making use of the State's sporting facilities. An example of that would be the Lusail fitness centre (arena), which is dedicated to women's activities, held in complete privacy. He added that QSFA seeks to introduce sporting venues, activities and events via the federation's application, enabling subscribers to receive awareness messages as well as obtain an obesity and biometrics medical report in co-operation with the Ministry of Public Health.

Al-Dosari thanked all the partners who have contributed to the implementation of the Ministry of Sports and Youth's plan for National Sport Day this year.

Meanwhile, the MoPH's Healthcare Communications Committee chair, Ali al-Khater, expressed appreciation for the co-operation with the Ministry of Sports and Youth while working on several initiatives, which contribute to making physical activity a societal daily practice, promoting individual health, and reducing the rate of chronic diseases.

He said this year's National Sport Day slogan embodies the adoption of a healthy lifestyle to improve the individual's mental and physical health, and the prevention of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiac diseases, in addition to activities that focus on the elderly.

Regarding the National Sport Day preparations, al-Khater concluded his remarks by reassuring that the MoPH has "prepared teams at the highest level, under the supervision of distinguished experts, and has a huge fleet of ambulances distributed in all areas hosting events and activities on Sport Day".

"We are fully prepared, and invite everyone to participate enthusiastically in the events," he added.

At the end of the press conference, QSFA honoured Qatari citizen Salem al-Marri, who is a sports role model, due to his continuous participation in the federation's activity programme which is held daily all year round at public parks.

In turn, al-Marri extended thanked the Ministry of Sports and Youth and QSFA for making sports accessible to all.