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Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF), the ultimate sporting destination of the Middle East, is set to demonstrate once more its commitment to building a healthier nation by celebrating the second annual National Sport Day with a collection of wide-ranging activities.
The Qatar National Sport Day stemmed out of the desire to promote sports, physical education, healthy active lifestyle and sustainable development in Qatar and contribute to the ambitious Qatar National Vision 2030.
An Emiri Decree in 2011, No. 80, which was issued by His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent, designated the second Tuesday of every February as the National Sport Day. This year, an array of different sporting activities, catering to all fitness levels will be held throughout Aspire Zone on Tuesday to help advance the country’s national sports strategy and inspire the community to adopt healthy lifestyles.
FUN RUN – (Around Aspire Academy & Khalifa Stadium – 10:00 a.m.)
Kicking off the day’s festivities at Aspire is a 4km fun-run around the zone. The route will allow participants to go around the world-acclaimed stadia and venues that Aspire Zone boasts, creating an idyllic environment for the runners.
Following last year’s overwhelming response that saw over 500 participants descend upon the precinct to take part, this year interested applicants are advised to register at www.aspirezone.qa/nsd before the event to secure a place and avoid disappointment. Participants are encouraged to complete the course at their own pace, and cross the finish line either running, jogging, or walking. The event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. outside Khalifa International Stadium.
A JOURNEY TO REMEMBER – (Starts at Gate 5 Khalifa Stadium – 12:00 till 17:00)
Participants will discover first-hand the world-class facilities the Zone has to offer by taking part in ‘A Journey to Remember’. Last year, over 10,000 people spent the day exploring the precinct, visiting booths set up across different venues and learning about the facilities. This year, the public will be given the opportunity to discover a whole host of other hidden gems, including the football pitches and athletes’ training grounds, as they leisurely wander around the Zone. Upon completing the walkathon, each participant will receive a special award of participation. ‘A Journey to Remember’ will begin at 12pm and finish at 5pm.
‘Step into health’ an important station within the journey Step into health is a brand new dynamic programme initiated by Aspire Zone Foundation that encourages the nation changing its lifestyle to become fitter and healthier. The trick to healthy living is making small changes by walking more every day. A special station for more information about the initiative is included within A Journey To Remember.
LIGHTING THE TORCH – (The Torch Hotel –17:00 – 18:00)
The final community-inspired event, ‘Lighting the Torch’, will bring the day to a close for the public. Individuals will be able to cycle static bicycles stationed outside to hotel to help harness enough ‘pedal power’ energy to light up the Torch-Doha Hotel, the tallest building in Doha, which stands at a mighty 300m tall. ‘Lighting the Torch’ will be a fun and dynamic way to illustrate how effective just a little bit of exercise can spark power. Set against the backdrop of sunset, ‘Lighting the Torch’ will start at 5pm on Tuesday evening.
“This year, we can promise everyone a fun National Sport Day, filled with activities that are open for everyone regardless of their age and fitness levels,” said Hamad Buhindi, AZF Public Relation & Media Manager.
“All of AZF’s facilities will be bustling with events whether in the Ladies Sports Club, Aspire Active, Aspire Academy’s outdoor football fields, or Aspire Park. We will also be reviving last year’s ‘A Walk to Remember’ with this year’s ‘A Journey to Remember’ and will be lighting up the Torch-Doha Hotel with help from the participants themselves,” he added.
“This is a unique way to empower the participants and where we give the charge to the public to light up Doha’s tallest structure.”
ASPIRE-BEST2REMEMBER COMPETITON – All day long
Believing in the importance of creating lasting memories, AZF is also organising an exciting social media competition on Twitter for the best photograph or video of an activity taking place at Aspire Zone. To enter, aspiring individuals will tweet the image or video (maximum one minute) to #Aspire_Best2remember. AZF will then award the top ten submissions with a range of fantastic prizes.
Multisport Skills Development Program – 11:00 – 16:00
Alongside the events open to the public, AZF is also hosting a number of games, tournaments and competitions for members of Aspire Zone programmes. The Multisport Skills Development Program, which is an afterschool sports initiative for boys and girls in grades 1 through 6, will be holding activities for its members in its multi-purpose hall 1 from 11am – 4pm. Aspire Active, which offers professional fitness and health-oriented exercise plans to the community, will be running circuit training on the warm up track from 11am – 1.30pm.
The Football Skills Development Centers, which aim to promote and develop football for boys in Qatar in grades 1 through 3, will be holding a football tournament on an outdoor pitch from 9.30am – 12.30pm. In addition, Aspire Academy will hold a football competition on pitch 4 from 1pm – 5pm for its student-athletes, and which is set to feature some of the future stars of tomorrow. “As a centre for sports and health education in the Middle East, AZF runs a number of yearlong initiatives, helping and encouraging the wider community to change lifestyles for the better. National Sport Day is not only an opportunity to introduce members of the community to exercise, but is also a chance for the existing members of these programmes, like Aspire Active, to take part in specially designed activities to further develop fitness levels,” said Abdulaziz al-Mahmoud, Director General for Aspire Logistics.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DOHA – Aspire Park near to the Lake
Additionally, for the first time in Doha, an American football match will be played at the Zone. A popular pastime in the United States, the game will be played on one of the Academy outdoor fields. Yousef al-Kuwari, the organiser of the American football event, said, “Prior to the exhibition match, members of the public will be given the opportunity to participate in a demonstration to learn more about the sport. For example, individuals will be taught how to correctly throw and receive the ball.” For more information about the American football event, contact [email protected].
‘FIREFIGHTERS SECOND CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP’ - Aspire Park from 8 am until one pm
Continuing of the great success of the version first held in the United Arab Emirates, the Department of Civil Defense, Interior Ministry of Qatar in co-operation with the Safety Department of Aspire Zone Foundation are organising the second edition of the “ Challenge Championship for Firefighters,” which aims to show high skills in civil defence resulting from intensive training programmes by different ministries of the interior in the Gulf Co-operation Council.
A selection of sporting and non-sporting Qatar-based companies will also be taking advantage of the world-class facilities at Aspire Zone on Tuesday to encourage staff members and their families to become more active and get fit through a variety of both physical and recreational activities. Qatar TV, Qatar Petroleum, RasGas, British Council, Ministry of Finance, Qatar Investment Authority and a joint venture between Shell, Qatar Football Association and Qatar 2022 are some of the organisations that will be enlivening the electrifying atmosphere of the day.
Last year, organisations around Qatar worked together to encourage individuals to take part in the inaugural day. Aspire Zone attracted a staggering 25,000 people from all walks of life to participate in the games both organised and hosted by AZF, making it the largest such gathering anywhere in Qatar.
“Now that National Sport Day is in its second year, and following the overwhelming success of last year’s event, the 2013 edition is destined to be even bigger and better. We’re hoping that our range of activities will help people take that first step towards deciding to become a healthier, more active person,” expressed Hilal al-Kuwari, AZF President.
After all, Aspire Zone Foundation is the spark that has ignited a fiery passion for sports and ushered an entire region of the world into a new era of sports development and sports as a means of healthy living. Rising to international prominence through successful staging of 2006 Asian Games, Aspire Zone Foundation is home to some of the world’s finest sport stadia and venues offering a stimulating combination of sport, sports medicine and research, and sport education.
Originally having been established in 2003 as a Sports City project, Aspire Zone Foundation has carried on to evolve and today works to develop sports champions, promote healthy lifestyles and galvanise the sports economy of today, and of the future, through a network of member-organisations: Aspire Academy, Aspetar, and Aspire Logistics.
Through Aspire Zone’s versatility of award-winning stadia and venues, and the overall objective of bringing different people together under one all-encompassing umbrella for the momentous day, Aspire is set to be the perfect place to celebrate this National Sport Day.