Qatar celebrates National Sport Day

The country turned into a big stadium on Tuesday with tens of thousands of citizens and residents from all segments of society practicing many types of sports to celebrate National Sport Day (NSD).
Leading from the front, His Highness the Amir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani participated in the activities of the National Sport Day (NSD).
HH the Amir took part in a walking drill at Al Bayt Stadium Park’s walkway, with the participation of a number of primary schools students, within the context of raising awareness among young people of the importance of sport and encouraging them to adopt healthy lifestyles and take care of physical fitness.
The park has green spaces surrounding the entire Al Bayt Stadium, which is scheduled to host the opening match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The park also includes sports facilities, tracks for running and cycling, in addition to horse riding track. The park is one of the most prominent projects that is considered a legacy that will be used after the World Cup.
The activities of the 11th edition of the National Sport Day began in response to the Amiri Decree No 80 of 2011, which stipulated that the second Tuesday of February of every year will be a National Sport Day, an event unique to Qatar.
The state aims to raise awareness of the importance of sports and its role in the lives of people and make it an essential part of the daily life of the individual.
All NSD activities this year were held in open air with the participation of 15 vaccinated people in group events and 5 unvaccinated individuals, such as 12 years old children, in individual games as long as they confirm that they are free from COVID-19.
Everyone was required to show their Ehteraz, in addition to adhering to the precautionary requirements and procedures to achieve the primary goal of establishing the Sport Day.
Activities were launched in many places such as Aspire, Katara, Msheireb, Al Rayyan Park and Al-Bidda, in addition to different walking and running tracks and sports fields. Events were also launched in Lusail Sports Arena, which was designated for women to practice gymnastics, fitness and other sports in complete privacy. These events are held under the title “Discover Your Sport.”
The organisers were free to choose the venues for the events because they were held this year in open air, in order to utilise sports facilities provided by the state.
All members of society participated in the activities in accordance with the necessary health measures.
The percentage of participants increases through the existing coordination between schools and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education with aim of raising the level of sports culture among young people.
Exercising and practicing sports were not limited to specific sports, as Qatar Sports For All Federation organized the largest number of activities, which included 575 diverse activities encompassing all kinds of sports, taking into consideration all segments of society, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and women.
The importance of organizing the Sport Day in Qatar every year is to increase the value of sport and raise awareness of its importance in daily life. Qatar celebrated the National Sport Day for the first time in February 2012. During this day, ministries, other government agencies and public bodies and institutions organize sport events to raise awareness of the importance of sport and its role in the lives of individuals and societies.
Qatar is considered a pioneer in organizing the Sport Day at regional and global levels, as some countries have started to organize a sport day similar to Qatar, given its importance to the individual and society. The Sport Day is receiving great attention, as this special event has become popular with all those living in Qatar from all age groups, citizens and residents.