Al-Mulla (right) speaks at the press conference as al-Fadhala (centre) and QOC media head Hassan al-Mohnnadi look on
The Qatar Olympic Committee will tomorrow hold a special Paralympics Day for children with special needs as part of the fifth edition of its annual Schools Olympic Programme (SOP).
More than 300 paralympics players from some 19 different schools and organisations for people with special needs will take part in the all-day event to be held at the Qatar Sports Club.
The competition will be divided into four categories, for both males and females: mentally challenged, visually impaired, deaf and persons with cerebral palsy. 
It will feature competitions in standing long jumps, soft ball throwing, long jump and shot put.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday to announce the event, SOP executive director Mohamed Essa al-Fadhala explained that the main aim of the event was to develop a sports culture among people with special needs in the Qatari society and to highlight the different services on offer for this important category of people.
“We are holding these events to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and potential physical capabilities. We seek to help them if they are interested to join the national team of the Qatar Paralympics Committee in future,” he said.
He added that the Paralympics Day will see the participation of families in order to further raise awareness on the benefits of sports and various activities for students with special needs.
Qatar Special Needs Federation executive director Ameer Akbar al-Mulla said the event was being held to create a friendly environment for people with special needs and to facilitate communication among schools and parents.
“We hope to also identify special cases among these children for us to understand how we can provide them with our expertise and services,” he said while recalling that Qatar won a bronze medal in the club throw category during the 16th Para Games in Guangzhou, China in 2010.
This reflects the high level of paralympics in the country, he said adding that SOP Paralympic Day organisers hope to encourage centres and special education schools as well as independent schools operating in the special needs area to establish sports teams for such persons.
The Paralympics Day will allow qualification of group of players for the finals of the SOP to be held on April 5.