PROUD WINNERS: Hassan al-Malki, Deputy GM of Oxy; Hamad al-Hammadi, Government Relations Manager at Vodafone; Steve Kelly, President of Oxy Qatar; Khalil al-Jaber, Director of Sports Affairs at Qatar Olympic Committee; Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCMC-Q; Dr Saleh al-Marri, Assistant Secretary General of Medical Affairs at the Supreme Council of Health; and Jim Rigby, VP and Development Manager at ExxonMobil Qatar, with the top three boys’ teams.
Students from 20 schools compete for glory in WCMC-Q's flagship health event
Powered by an endless supply of young energy, the atmosphere was electric in the main arena of the Aspire Zone on Saturday.
The second edition of “The Challenge”, a part of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar’s (WCMC-Q) flagship health campaign, Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First, was as hard-fought and exciting a contest as a thumping success of an event.
The day was won by German School in the boys’ category and by the International School of Choueifat in the girls’ category – both the winning teams’ members were presented with iPads as prizes.
An array of physically gruelling games was taken head-on by hundreds of middle school children from 20 schools across Qatar. Each team of ten gave their best shot, as their families, friends, teachers, and a throng of VIP guests cheered them on from the stands.
The Challenge, in its second year, reinforces the importance of fitness and seeks to encourage the young to take up sport or a physical activity. Not just inspire the young, it also pushes families to adopt healthy lifestyle choices, which is integral in building a healthy future generation.
Therefore, The Challenge is in sync with the broader aim of the Sahtak Awalan: Your Health First campaign, which seeks to help create a healthy nation, able to contribute to the knowledge-based economy in line with the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Health Strategy 2011-2016.
Borne out of the same vision, at the Aspire Zone, the interschool contest featured games that were as thrilling to play as they were to watch. In Let It Grow, teams had to co-ordinate their movement by walking in the “team skis” to reach the inflatable pots and build a foam puzzle of a head of corn.
Distribution Channels was a team relay where each member had to deliver a replica food sack to the giant inflatable pots. In Build A Better Burger, a relay game, the entire team worked together to move pieces of a healthy chicken burger from one side of a track to the other within the giant five-person caterpillar tracks.
Kitchen Capers combined an inflatable obstacle course and a series of funny chef head costumes, while Food Fight was possibly the funniest of the lot.
In Food Fight, the good food battled against the bad as team members dressed as giant fruits and vegetables, carried puzzle pieces through an inflatable tunnel. To distract them, a member of the other teams, dressed as junk food, swung giant balls at them.
Fish Fun was another cool relay competition that had one member of each team dressed as a penguin, waiting on one side of the giant inflatable slope. The other team members ran, one at a time, over the slope, to give the penguin a foam fish which he or she had to place in the giant baskets.
Since the materials were made of inflatable rubber and foam, the children could enjoy an outstanding sporting experience without risking injury. Besides, the giant foam structures made for a great viewing experience.
While all the participating children looked exalted by their experience of The Challenge, the winning teams had an additional reason to beam about.
Luca Dohlus, 15, who was part of the winning boys’ team from German School, said, “It was hard work and the other teams were great, but I think we won because each one of us worked together very well and we gave our best.”
Lina al-Haj, 12, who was part of the winning girls’ team from International School of Choueifat, said that she thoroughly enjoyed the event. “The races were so much fun. I liked that they were games rather than sport. It was all good fun and very challenging.”
English Modern School finished second and Canadian School came in third in the boys’ competition, while the Hammad School International came second and the German School finished third in the girls’ competition.
Apart from the nail-biting contest, the event also actively engaged everyone attending it with a host of activities. There were professional health and fitness assessments, using a body analysing machine and the Advanced Glycation End, or AGE, reader.
For the young lot, there were a bunch of interesting games like the distance kick (which told you of how far could you kick a football), the bungee run (where contestants could race a friend before being catapulted backwards), and the sprint challenge to discover who was the fastest over 10 metres.
Apart from the healthy food available at various stalls, people could take fresh apples, oranges and bananas that were kept in open boxes at various points.
Also on display at The Challenge were elaborate posters made by students from seven schools as part of the educational poster competition. Tasked with researching the most serious health issues facing Qatar, the students’ elaborate posters revolved around anti-smoking, anti-junk food, and road safety messages.
The creators of ten best posters, judged by a panel of experts from WCMC-Q and the Supreme Council of Health, were given iPads.
The Sahtak Awalan, a five-year initiative launched in 2012, is organised by WCMC-Q in conjunction with the Supreme Council of Health and in partnership with Qatar Foundation, the Supreme Education Council, Qatar Petroleum, Occidental Petroleum of Qatar, ExxonMobil Qatar Inc., Qatar Olympic Committee and Vodafone Qatar.
HE Abdullah bin Khalid al-Qahtani, Minister of Public Health, appreciated Sahtak Awalan campaign for its crucial role in raising public health awareness among both Qataris and the expats through its many initiatives that promote healthy lifestyles.
“To attain the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2011-2016, building new hospitals and launching medical institutions won’t suffice. It is just as important that we increase health awareness in the community and this requires the efforts of us all,” the minister said.
HE Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi, Minister of Education and Higher Education and Secretary General of the Supreme Education Council, said, “By instilling the ideas of healthy lifestyles and nutritious food choices into the minds of school children today, we ensure healthier generations in the future.”
HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Secretary General and CEO of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), said, “The Challenge and Your Health First reflect the mutual goals of QOC and the other partners to increase awareness of the benefits of adopting an active and healthy lifestyle.”
Engineer Saad al-Muhannadi, President of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, said, “The most significant aspect of this event is that it is targeted towards the younger generation, since they will be leading the country’s future development.”
Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCMC-Q, said, “It was so encouraging to see the level of energy that the students brought to the event — they all competed with great enthusiasm and in a spirit of friendly competition that was a pleasure to watch.”
PARTICIPANTS
The schools that took part in both The Challenge and the Poster Competition were Al Hekma International School, Hammad School International, English Modern School, International School of Choueifat, Cambridge School, AbuBakr Assedeeq Boys Preparatory, Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib School, Abu Obaida School, Canadian School, German School, Iranian School for Boys and Girls, English Modern School (Al Khor), Ali Bin Abi Taleb for Boys, Osama Bin Zaid, Al Ahnaf Bin Qais Independent for Boys, Dukhan School for Boys and Amna Bint Wahab.
The schools that took part in the Poster Competition only were Fatma Bint Waleed, Al Ghwayriya, and Um Saiid.
BELOW:
1) AMAZING RACES: Students participated in a number of exciting races at the event. Photo by Najeer Feroke