Aspire Zone proved to be the perfect destination to celebrate the second annual National Sport Day. Thousands of the city’s residents flocked to the precinct to take part in an assortment of events that were on offer throughout the day to men and women of all ages and fitness levels.
HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada visited the precinct: “The facilities at Aspire Zone are unique. Companies have gathered here today and have encouraged the public to take part in the events, including RasGas. This year the organisation chose Aspire Zone to celebrate the holiday.”
“Doha is the sports capital city of the world and Aspire is the heart of sports in Doha,” he added.
Hamad Buhindi, Public Relations & Media Manager at Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF), commented on the day, “Our goal for National Sport Day is to encourage the public to lead a healthy lifestyle. Today we welcomed over 30,000 individuals to the Zone as well as 30 companies from across Qatar who used our facilities to host their own events.”
“National Sport Day is not just one day a year; we hope to continue encouraging the community to lead an active and healthy lifestyle throughout the year. Our yearlong initiatives include step into health, which launched in December and in six weeks has welcomed over 14,000 participants; as well as Aspire Active and other programmes such as those aimed at discovering talent in schools,” he added.
Fun-Run
The community-inspired festivities kicked off with a 4km fun-run around the Zone. Over 700 individuals pre-registered, whilst a further 1,300 arrived to take part. More than 2,000 walked, jogged, and ran across the finish line outside Khalifa International Stadium, including men, women, children and even babies in strollers.
Hilal al-Kuwari, President of AZF, and Khalifa al-Kubaisi, Safety and Security Director at AZF, were among some of the first runners to cross the start line.
Saadawi al-Amery, from Algeria, was the first person to finish the race: “The race was really exciting; I didn’t expect to finish first. I had a great time.”
Qatari sports enthusiast Mubarak al-Khulaifi praised AZF’s efforts, saying: “Last National Sports Day was a turning point in my life as it marked the day I made the decision to change my lifestyle. This time last year I couldn’t even run for five minutes. Today I ran the whole four kilometres easily in under 30 minutes. Aspire Zone proved to be the perfect place to celebrate my new life.”
Chris Arthey, a British amputee, also took part in the fun-run: “This is a great event for the whole family, the route was interesting and the crowd was very supportive. I moved to Doha last November and have had the opportunity to take part in a number of Aspire events, including two Aquathons. I am also planning to take part in the upcoming Torch-Doha Hotel Staircase Run and the final Aquathon at the end of the month.”
“I think it is fantastic that Aspire is doing so much to inspire and encourage the community to get fit. Fitness is so important, he added. “My wife and I both lost our left legs in a car accident in 2008, and doctors told us that we only survived the crash because we were so fit, so I applaud Aspire’s efforts.”
‘A Journey to Remember’
Following the incredible success of last year’s ‘A Walk to Remember’ that saw over 10,000 people spend the day exploring the precinct, this year’s ‘A Journey to Remember’ aimed to give the public an insight into the world class venues at Aspire Zone. The walkathon ran from 12pm to 5pm. The route started at Khalifa International Stadium, wound through Aspire Dome, and finished at the outdoor pitches. The walk featured a step into health booth, which enabled participants to learn about AZF’s brand new healthy lifestyle programme.
Once participants finished the walkathon, they were presented with healthy food packs in a bid to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy diet.
Furthermore, an American football demonstration, followed by a presentation match, was played for the first time in Doha. The popular American sport was played on one of Aspire Zone’s outdoor pitches.
Other organisations included Qatar Diabetes Association, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Toyota, RasGas, Ministry of Finance, Qatar Equestrian Federation, and the National Human Rights Committee.
Social Media Competition
In addition, to help create lasting memories of the event, AZF ran a social media competition throughout the day encouraging individuals to take photographs or videos of an activity taking place at Aspire Zone. Entries were sent to Twitter and Facebook and the top ten submissions will be announced next Tuesday, February 19, 2012. Prizes include a selection of iPads, iPhones, iPods, and the Torch-Doha Hotel vouchers.
