World champion high-jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim and ace shooter Al Dana Saad al-Mubarak won the prestigious male and female athlete of the year award at a gala ceremony held at Aspire Dome yesterday to mark the Qatar Olympic Committee’s Sport Excellence Day.
Hundreds of Qatar’s athletes, coaches, stakeholders and Aspire student were present to celebrate the successes of Team Qatar over the past year and encourage them to continue to keep their country proud.
HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, awarded medals to the winners in various categories and thanked them for bringing glory to the country.
“Development of athletes to reach the highest level is a top priority of the Qatar Olympic Committee as it is a part of the QOC strategy which is aligned to support Qatar National Vision 2030. Team Qatar had a successful year across many sports as medals were won, records were broken. The athletes continued to perform and bring home many glorious titles,” said HE Sheikh Joaan.
“Thank you for your commitment and dedication to building the sporting culture of Qatar. Today we are here to celebrate some of the successes. It is also important to recognise the commitment and skills of the incredibly talented coaches who support our Team Qatar athletes to reach their full potential.
“Doha in the coming years will continue to host internationally recognised world-class sport events such as IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, World Championships 2023 and IJF Masters 2020, 2023 FINA World Championships,” HE Sheikh Joaan added.
Showing his support to the athletes and administrator, HE Secretary-General of Qatar Olympic Committee HE Jassim al-Buenain said: “Qatar is a nation passionate about sport and we strongly believe in the power of sport to unite, inspire, empower and educate people of all ages and abilities. Our athletes represent everything that Qatar stands for; hard work, dedication and loyalty. We are extremely proud of them on and off the podium. They are an inspiration to the young generation and a source of pride for all of us.
“We believe that hard work deserves recognition, and our athletes work tirelessly to represent Qatar at the highest level and raise the maroon flag around the world. Sport Excellence Day is our way of thanking them, celebrating their success and encouraging them to keep up the hard work.”
During the celebrations, awards were presented to athletes and administrators in different categories.
Barshim opened the 2018 Diamond League season with a world leading jump of 2.40m on his way to victory in Doha in May. Barshim, who recently got married, couldn’t attend the ceremony. His father collected the award on his behalf.
Female Athlete of the Year Al Dana Saad al-Mubarak has excelled in various shooting competitions in Asia, inspiring many aspiring sportswomen. Ace hurdler Abderrahman Samba, who dominated the Diamond League and won the Asian Games title, won the ‘Sport Excellence’ award.
Samba said: “I’m extremely happy to win this award. This gives me extra motivation to give even more in the coming years. I’d like to thank the Qatar Olympic Committee family under the leadership of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani for this great occasion. I hope I will continue to be here in the coming years and win more awards”
Rania al-Naji, who won the Promising Female Athlete of the Year, said: “This award means a lot to me and is a motivation in the start of my sporting career to continue to improve. At the same time, it a motivation to girls to work hard and take up more sports thanks to the support we receive from all entities.”
“It’s a great feeling because this is the first award I receive and is a great motivation for me in the future,” al-Naji added.
Administrative awards were presented to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for its continuous support to the Olympic movement in Qatar and Aspire Zone for supporting sport and organising social sport programmes, which play a critical role in developing athletes from a young age.
Mohamed al-Dosari who was presented with the Male Administrator of the Year stated: “The award is an incentive for all the winning athletes, administrators and federations to continue to excel.”
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