The esplanade at Katara - the Cultural Village Foundation witnessed various sporting and fun activities on Tuesday as Katara celebrated Qatar National Sport Day.
With more than 70 activities and the participation of 50 institutions from the public and private sectors, including 12 sports federations and some 15 health centres, the sport day attracted thousands of visitors, Katara said in a press statement.
The activities at Katara also witnessed several visits from officials and dignitaries who came to join the public in the celebrations and exercises.
Katara offered an array of activities, including watersports, and contests for visitors - especially children - to enhance the culture of engaging the young generation in sports. In addition, visitors from both genders and all age groups enjoyed many fitness exercises all along the Katara esplanade under the supervision and with the assistance of instructors to provide consultation and help.
Competitions such as jogging, sit-ups, dragon boat race and others were organised for the visitors.
In one of the highlights of the day, the AFC Asian Cup was brought to Katara and kept before the public to see and take photographs with, in celebration of Qatar’s recent sporting achievement.
The celebrations at Katara were held in compliance with the national efforts undertaken to motivate the practice of sports and enrich the culture of leading a healthy life.
Several pavilions offered free healthy food and diet recipes for visitors while medical institutions offered free medical tests and consultancy to improve the daily habits and lifestyles of people.
Speaking on this occasion, Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti said Katara always participates in national occasions and constantly motivates its visitors to practise sports by opening various facilities for this purpose, especially watersports.
Katara also provided free water, coffee and fruits for visitors during the festivities in addition to taking safety measures and precautions such as the ambulance service and special assistance for the elderly and disabled persons.
Some 15 restaurants also provided complementary healthy food for people to raise awareness of having a proper diet and expose people to different ways to cook food in a healthy way.
Meanwhile, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that the activities at Katara area were spread over different areas, including art galleries, the open theatre and hallways, as well as sports competitions along the Corniche, in addition to a large number of events held in the south.
The public competed in different sports such as basketball, volleyball, handball, table tennis, boxing and cycling, and also enjoyed weightlifting, bodybuilding, karate, judo and taekwondo.
The government entities that took part in the event included Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), Qatar Armed Forces, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME), etc.
Qatar Gymnastics Federation organised a special event that included artistic movements, allowing the public to take a closer look at the sport, with the participation of a group of young girls.
Qatar Taekwondo, Judo and Karate Federation had a distinguished presence at Katara through a special event that involved many young players associated with clubs and academies, as well as children who loved and enjoyed martial arts.
The Qatar Boxing and Wrestling Federation also participated in events and activities held in Katara. It organised various boxing and wrestling activities that were attended by its players, and in which the public also participated, in order to encourage all members of the community to practise sports and attract young people to join the national boxing and wrestling teams.
The Qatar Women's Sports Committee organised various activities, including mini games for children aged 5 to 13 years, in co-operation with Kahramaa. Also, in co-operation with the Organising Committee of the National Sport Day events at Katara, the committee offered table tennis skills for various ages.
The Qatar Golf Association organised mini golf at Katara Beach throughout the day, while the Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation held an all-day aquathlon swimming at the Katara Corniche. The Qatar Volleyball Association organised a beach volleyball event and volleyball matches in association with Kahramaa, and the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation held tennis games for all categories.
HMC held a number of activities to mark National Sport Day and highlight the importance of sport in building a healthy community, while also raising awareness about the many benefits of physical activity and inspiring the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
The MoCI participated in the celebrations at Katara in co-operation with the Economic Zones Company (Manateq), where it organised a variety of sporting and recreational activities that saw wide participation by all members of the community.
Activities organised by the MoCI included entertainment and photography competitions, sports and motor sports, beach volleyball, children's football, boxing, table tennis, billiards and table football.
