Thousands turn up at QOC Sport Village

Qatar Olympic Committee Secretary General Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani demonstrating his talents in table tennis at QOC Sport Village. PICTURE: Jayaram

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff ReporterSeveral hundreds of the country’s residents flocked to the Qatar Olympic Committee’s Sport Village at the General Post Office grounds in Doha to turn the 4th National Sport Day celebrations into a memorable experience yesterday.The General Secretariat of the Council of the Ministers also celebrated the day in the presence of HE the Cabinet Secretary General Hamad bin Ahmad al-Muhannadi. The celebration kicked off in the morning with a march along the Corniche. The large attendance, especially that of Qatari women for the proceedings at the colourful and artistically decorated QOC Sport Village would have surprised even the organisers and volunteers who were also present in large numbers.A number of serving diplomats and international coaches assisting Qatari national teams were also in attendance at the Village. A multitude of colourful flags were seen fluttering at the venue.Basketball, wheelchair basketball, ‘Futsal’, table tennis, handball, volleyball, netball, testing of shooting skills, cycling, table tennis, table football,  and boxing were among the activities at the QOC Sport Village.The stalls of cycling federation, anti-doping office, Qatar Basketball Association, Qatar Volleyball Federation and Qatar Stars League received good attention from the visitors. The specially developed children’s playing areas, including the Jungle Zone, was a big hit with the younger lot. Prominent among those who participated in the day’s proceedings at the Village were QOC Secretary General Sheikh Saoud bin Abdurahman al-Thani and a host of representatives of the local sports federations. Sheikh Saoud also demonstrated his talents, leading a team of paddlers at the venue of the table tennis matches.  Another interesting thing was a giant-sized chess board where people got a chance  to test their skills and competence. Considering the importance given these days for the sport activities of the physically challenged people, special arrangements were made for the people of special needs to experiment their sport prowess in a host of disciplines.An array of stalls, representing the local sport federations, sport and non-sport institutions and entities were also set up at the venue, where apart from the Ministry of Interior’s staff and Qatar Scouts and Guides, many local school teachers and children were also seen guiding the visitors.At their stalls the local sport administrators also briefed the visitors on the forthcoming international sport events to be hosted in the country.The Massive ‘Majlis’ at the entrance also received considerable attention from the visitors as they were treated to snacks and refreshments by the organisers.While the QOC Village was a beehive of sport activities, the favourable weather conditions in the morning hours saw a number of  yachts carrying the Qatari national flags and paragliders in action at the Doha sea. Most of the dhows berthed along the Corniche were decorated to commemorate the occasion.Thousands of revellers, of different nationalities, sporting either track suits or T-shirts and caps of different colours were seen strolling along the sea coast.