Collaborative research deal on sporting activities

HE Salah bin Ghanem al-Ali, Minister of Youth and Sports  with QU officials at the event.

Qatar University’s (QU) Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) and Qatar Sports For All Federation, signed yesterday a collaborative research agreement in the presence of the Minister of Youth and Sports HE Salah bin Ghanem al-Ali.The agreement was signed by SESRI director and QU acting vice president for research Dr Darwish al-Emadi and Qatar Sports For All Federation president Abdulrahman al-Dosari in the presence of QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, as well as several officials from QU and Qatar Sports For All Federation.The study aims to explore the trends in participation in sports and physical activities among Qatari nationals and define the number of nationals from different ages and genders who practise sports and physical activities, and their preference for the type of sport, the timing and season to practise sports activities, as well as the best sports venues.As per the agreement, experts from both institutions will conduct a four-phase study during 13 months starting November 2015.The study includes two separate surveys for adults and school students.The survey among adults will be conducted quarterly during one year and will comprise a total of 2,000 successful interviews by the final phase while the survey among school students will comprise a total of 800 successful interviews by the final phase.Dr al-Emadi said: “This important study contributes to providing findings on sports development and challenges, and to assessing the community’s awareness on the role of sports in ensuring a healthy lifestyle. This also underlines SESRI’s commitment to addressing topics that are of the interest of the society and aligned with national ambitions to advance a vibrant sports culture and the positioning of Qatar as a key international sports destination, primary of which is the hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022.” Al-Dosari said: “This agreement will generate important results through the development of Qatar’s Sports Sector Strategy and the execution of plans and programmes focused on evidence-based data, which will enable us to measure and guide spending on sport activities properly.”