By Peter Townson
Players before the management versus staff match, which featured Ali Alfardan and other family members
Staff Reporter
As the Al Fardan Group organised a number of activities to mark the first Qatar National Sports Day yesterday, family members Omar and Ali Alfardan spoke to Gulf Times about the importance of sport to the nation and its people, expressing their full support for the new national holiday.
“We would like to salute HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for announcing the National Sports Day for Qatar,” said Omar, adding “we are the first country to have such a national day and we are very proud of it, and we are sure that we will participate in this every year.”
“We will make sure that every year we have bigger budget, and we will make sure that all the members of the Al Fardan Group participate in it,” he said, adding “it will grow and will have many surprises for years to come.”
Omar pointed out that the country’s economic growth and its commitment to sport had been developing hand in hand, arguing that sport’s importance to Qatar “goes without saying - we have the World Cup in 10 years.”
“We have to be prepared - it is not just about being able to play sport, it is about the culture and philosophy of sport, and that is what His Highness is trying to do for people, to make them feel sport, to live sport and to be ready for such a big challenge,” he said.
“I think it is very valuable and I think it will be the motive behind economic growth in the coming ten years in Qatar,” he said, adding “Qatar is a very wealthy country from oil and gas and I think we have to complement this with a number of other activities, for the attraction of tourism and athletes and sports, and this is a very important sector for everybody.”
“I am more of a tennis player – football has not been my game – and lately it has been mostly to do with watersports,” he said, “in the years to come we are trying to put something together to accompany this with a watersports event.”
And he said that he may make an appearance as an athlete at next year’s celebration: “Maybe next year, if we do a tennis tournament then I will be playing in it!”
Someone who did take to the pitch was Ali Alfardan, who played a starring role in the Al Fardan management’s 4-0 victory over staff in the football match to round off the day’s festivities.
“We are very proud that our government and HH the Emir has made a day for sport as this means that they are worried about the health of everybody in Qatar, whether they are Qataris or residents here in Qatar,” he said.
“This is to show how important sport is for our health, to keep out disease and keep everybody healthy,” he noted, adding “this day will bring everybody to sport which will help to improve their health.”
He also highlighted the ability of sport to bring together people from different backgrounds.
“See the gathering today – this is one company, with all their families – we are all like one big family,” he said, adding “I am very happy to be here and very happy to participate in this event.”
“I am already looking forward to next year, and I think as a company we should have events like this more often, maybe once a month,” he suggested, urging people to play sports at least twice or three times a week.
As well as displaying his footballing skills on the day, Ali is a keen tennis player, and he explained that he plays tennis almost every day.
He was keen to emphasise his belief that everyone should play sports on a regular basis, and both Al Fardan brothers, who were joined by numerous other family members to celebrate National Sports Day yesterday, stressed their commitment to celebrating and supporting this holiday in years to come.
Their companies’ efforts to promote sport among employees for the inaugural celebration were certainly an encouraging start, proving to the family and everyone taking part that this event is sure to continue to grow in the future.