Qatar 2015 Director General Dr. Thani al-Kuwari and VCUQatar Director of Entrepreneurship Roger Griffiths pictured yesterday. INSET: Fahed, the mascot
Dr. Thani Abdulrahman al-Kuwari, Director General of the Qatar 2015 Organising Committee, has awarded the winners of the mascot contest for the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship.
In co-operation with Doha-based Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar) – a centre of excellence for education and research in art and design – the Organising Committee had launched the contest to create a remarkable and memorable mascot for the prestigious event.
The result of this contest – mascot Fahed, symbolising a six-year-old Qatari boy – had already been introduced to the public during the official mascot and countdown launch at the Qatar National Sport Day, attended by H.E. Sheikh Joaan, President of the Qatar 2015 Organising Committee and Dr. Hassan Moustafa, President of the International Handball Federation.
“Fahed is more than a mascot. He is an ambassador for Qatar, for handball and the event, showcasing the hospitality, the friendship, but also the sportive ambitions of Qatar in a highly positive and charming way,” Dr. al-Kuwari said yesterday.
Dr al-Kuwari was impressed by the designs created by students of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar: “It was extraordinary for all of us to see how many different ideas had been presented in this contest not only to create a mascot but to fill it with life. Fahed will be the face of the World Championship, he will transport our ideals and dreams to the spectators in the venues and via TV all over the world.”
He added: “We want to get local talent involved in this event. We are planning to have internships in various departments to interact with universities. We are willing to count on our rising future stars in Qatar to make the World Championship a brilliant success.”
Representing the VCUQatar, Roger Griffiths, Director of Entrepreneurship, explained how his students worked to create a mascot for Qatar 2015.
“VCUQatar has been honoured to work with the Qatar 2015 Organising Committee in the design and development of the mascot for the 2015 Handball Championship. VCUQatar aims to support a generation of young designers to create a thriving, vibrant and sustainable design sector for Qatar and industry-led projects enable the university to build a culture around creativity and entrepreneurship,” Griffiths said.
In his opinion, “sponsored projects bring local organisations and aspiring young designers together to produce exceptional creative work, helping students to develop the transferable skills they will need to secure employment in the future.
Griffiths added: “This project embodies the very spirit of VCUQatar’s mission to provide students with world-class education and linking them with industry sponsors to gain insights into real life projects and challenges. This project is just the start of a long term collaboration between VCUQatar and the Qatar 2015 Organising Committee. VCUQatar is thrilled that our students have been able to make a significant contribution to the success of the Handball Championship in 2015.”
About Fahed, the mascot
Fahed is the mascot of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship in Qatar 2015. He will become ‘the face of the Championship’ and he will play an important role in ensuring that Qatar 2015 carves a distinctive and memorable niche in the history of both handball and Qatar.
Fahed is a six-year-old Qatari boy with a love for adventure and excitement that he inherited from his father. He is very close to his family and is the youngest of five siblings.
His brothers bring out the fun and competitive side of his personality, while his sisters love him for his playfulness, his natural charm, twinkling eyes and friendly smile.
Fahed’s mission at Qatar 2015 is to make people laugh and forge new friendships. He hopes that Qatar 2015 will entertain fans, create life-long memories and promote Qatar as a world class sports and tourism destination.
Fahed’s main responsibility is to increase interest in the Championship and in handball among the youth of Qatar, especially school children, who represent the future of the sport.
Fahed appeals to a broad adult audience – ranging from international handball players and fans to locally-based sports fans. Fahed is one of the key visual assets of Qatar 2015, providing the Organising Committee with a strong and personable brand asset through which promotional campaigns can be activated and target audiences can be engaged.
About the contest winner
It was not the first time Roda al-Thani had designed a mascot, but it was the first time the student of the VCUQatar created a prize-winning mascot – Fahed, the mascot of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship.
As general and regular part of her studies, Roda designs publications, games and interactive designs, so the task was a quite new one – but finally her idea persuaded the jury of the Qatar 2015 Organising Committee.
The process of creating and designing the final version of the seven-year-old Qatari boy Fahed was a long one: The first step was to generate keywords in different directions for the future mascot, to picture an animal or an object. With every mascot a background story had to be created to give it some sort of life and depth.
