Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) will host the 9th edition of the GCC Sports Tournament for Universities and Higher Education Institutes from February 4-10, 2023.
“We expect about 1,000 students from over 20 national institutes in the GCC to take part in the tournament,” Noor al-Jassim, development director and tournament committee vice president, told a press conference yesterday.
Qatar is organising the event for the second time as Qatar University hosted it several years ago, she pointed out.
Dr Maryam bint Hamad al-Mannai, vice president of Student Affairs at HBKU; Mohammed bin Hamad Altuwaijry, head of higher education at the Secretariat General of the GCC and Faisal al-Mohannadi, senior student engagement supervisor and manager of the tournament, were also present.
Al-Jassim explained: “The tournament will bring together students to compete in six sports events: football on grass courts, volleyball, table tennis, padel, athletics, and swimming. Most of the games will be conducted at the facilities at Aspire Zone and Education City. Students will also have practice games at Education City.”
HBKU was selected to host the tournament by the Committee of Deans of Student Affairs for Universities in the Arab Gulf during its 32nd meeting, held in Oman in February 2022, under the umbrella of the Secretariat General of the Gulf Co-operation Council, and with 37 GCC universities and educational institutes attending.
Dr al-Mannai said: “The 9th Sports Tournament for GCC Universities and Higher Education Institutes constitutes the second most prominent sporting event for GCC countries. The facilities will be fully devoted to organising this tournament at the highest level that befits the distinguished international sporting reputation enjoyed by Qatar.”
The tournament’s supervisory committee conducted a preparatory meeting at HBKU Wednesday and discussed plans and latest preparations. The official logo of the tournament was launched on the occasion. Dr al-Mannai explained that the logo was chosen following a contest open to students from across Education City.
The logo aligns with that of the Secretariat General of the GCC Countries and refers to the strong co-operation ties between the countries. The logo includes the map of the GCC region, the number of the coming edition, and a running track.
Al-Mohannadi, noted: “ This sports tournament has always been of paramount importance because of its positive and tangible impact that directly reflects the depth of the relationship between the people of the GCC. From this standpoint, HBKU will ensure that the next edition will constitute a milestone in the history of student sports in GCC countries.”
“We conducted multiple meetings during which we discussed the plan of the tournament, approved its logo, the time of holding it, and the proposed games. The committee has also agreed to raise the age ceiling for participants as HBKU is a university that offers higher studies programmes,” added, Altuwaijry.
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