The Aspire Zone Foundation’s Ramadan Sports Festival gets underway today with the opening match of the women’s volleyball competition, set to take place in the Ladies Sports Hall, at 9pm. The festival has grown considerably since the inaugural event in 2011 and this year’s edition caters to the whole community.Due to popular demand, a number of women’s sports have been incorporated into this year’s festivities.“The additions are a testament to the rise in interest in women’s sports in Qatar and a demonstration of Aspire Zone’s ongoing commitment to encourage female members of the public to take part in sporting activities,” a foundation spokesperson said.The three-week event now includes men’s football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s squash, and women’s volleyball.Amalia Delrosario, a volleyball player from the Angry Birds team, praised the inclusion of women in the tournament: “I play in a league in Qatar and this year’s Ramadan Sports Festival is a great opportunity for us as women to show that we are interested in sports, too.”“It’s an extra bonus to be able to use the fantastic facilities at Aspire Zone,” she added.The highly-anticipated games are all set to put on a thrilling display as both last year’s football champions and the Doha Jam street basketball tournament’s recent winners, the Homeboys, will be returning to compete.Supporters will be given the chance to come along and cheer for their favourite teams and players.Matches will be staged across the Aspire Zone precinct, including the Outdoor Pitches and the Outdoor Warm-Up Track facility (men’s football), Aspire Dome (men’s basketball), and the Ladies Sports Hall and Ladies Club (women’s basketball, volleyball, and squash).Amal Mohammed, a player from the TNT basketball team, is excited to take part in the competition and can’t wait to take home first place: “The prizes on offer are fantastic, we want to win!”Prizes on offer include Samsung Slates, iPads and iPods, and packages to stay at the TORCH Doha Hotel.The festival has been met with overwhelming response from the public as spaces were quickly snapped up.
The schedule of the matches are as following: n Volleyball (Women) from July 22 to July 30n Basketball (Men) July 25 to August 5n Football (Men) July 28 to August 8n Basketball (Women) July 31 to August 8n Squash (Women) August 5 to 9Meanwhile, representatives of the 16 football teams that have qualified for the Ramadan Sports Festival tournament met on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming event.Alongside football captains, official representatives and referees discussed the rules and regulations, as well as the schedule of events. It also gave the team representatives the opportunity to size up the opposition for the first time.In attendance were last year’s football winners, Njoum Samba, returning to the competition determined to hold on to their title.“We are very excited to be here again after such a successful tournament last year. We have some new players on the team who will be bringing some fresh talent. We are really hoping to win again this year,” said team representative Jaber al-Hajjaji.The teams expressed their excitement in the upcoming tournament.Hamad Saeed from the Al Osoud team said: “This is my first time competing in the Ramadan Sports Festival. I’m looking forward to sharing this experience with teammates. I would love to participate in more events like this.”“We can’t wait for the tournament to begin and hopefully take home first place. We have had a great time participating so far, and we hope to see more activities like this throughout the year,” said Moayad Mar’I, a player from the Al Mexico team.The women’s basketball and volleyball team representatives also met to discuss the logistics of their upcoming competitions and finalise the draw.