Qatar celebrates National Sports Day

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, Qatar Football Association and Qatar Stars League hosted a special event for staff and their families on the occasion of the first Qatar National Sports Day. The event, which took place at the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, was named ‘Football Town.’ A wide range of football-related festivities and entertainment were on offer for all ages. Activities included football tournaments, beach soccer clinics and an interactive fan zone for participants to test their footballing skills. Football players and fans were able to measure the speed and accuracy of their free-kicks, in addition to forming their own teams in the competitive five-a-side tournament. A special guest, Ramiro Amarelle, was also in attendance. Widely regarded as the best beach football player in the world, Amarelle, who previously played in La Liga for Deportivo La Coruna, is the captain of the Spanish beach soccer team and coaches  Barcelona’s beach squad. He was on hand to host interactive clinics on beach football skills. Commenting on the initiative, Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi said, ‘The decision to create a day dedicated to sport in Qatar is a symbol of the strong commitment of our nation toward developing sporting participation across the population. Increased participation in sport has the potential to bring our communities together, encourage a better quality of life and shape a healthier future for generations to come. Qatar has an international reputation as a hub for staging successful sporting events and it is important that as our global sporting profile rises and we continue on our journey toward hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, that we simultaneously ensure that the people of Qatar are also engaged in sporting activity.’