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School Olympic Program’s (SOP) Paralympic Day for specially able children was celebrated at Qatar Sports Club yesterday with hundreds of children from several centers and schools across Qatar participating. |
The one-day competition, which was jointly organised by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and the Organising Committee of the Schools Olympic Program (SOP), offered the students an opportunity to take part in various sporting events.
Male and female students with various disabilities enthusiastically participated in multiple sport events which included table tennis, athletics, jumping, softball and shot put. The Paralympic Day for disabled students is considered as one of the top priorities for the SOP Organising Committee to aid the integration of people with special needs into the society. The day also aims at encouraging children with disabilities, their parents and their schools to take part in the SOP and enhance their sporting talents.
The event is considered to be more than a sport competition; as a social and healthy activity. It allows children with disabilities to showcase their capacities and energy, and enable them to develop their skills to be able to join the national Paralympic team in the future.
“I am thrilled to win the race. I was thinking about it since last month,” Amir, a 14-year-old student, said after winning the 50m sprint.
The event was attended by QOC Secretary General Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Minister of Education HE Saad bin Ibrahim al-Mahmoud and other dignitaries. Around 415 participants representing 40 schools and centers like Shaffalah Center, Qatar Society for the Disabled, Doha International Center for Special Needs, Al Noor Institute for the Blind took part in the event.
“Sporting events such as today’s allow for better integration of children with a disability whether they are active in sports or not, and allow them to see the extent of what they can achieve,” said one of the teachers of a participating school.
“We can already see a clear shift in the way the Paralympic Games are viewed - not only has the number of participants increased over the past years but the numbers of parents and friends coming to cheer them on has increased as well,” she added.
Participants before the start of the School Olympic Program’s Paralympic Day celebration.