Qatar’s National Sport Day (NSD) celebration has inspired many residents to be more creative and innovative in many aspects that contribute to the attainment of the National Vision 2030, Qatar Extreme Sports founder Farhan al-Sayed has said.
Speaking to Gulf Times, he noted that the annual event is just the beginning of Qatar’s long-term vision to become a sports hub and host of the
Olympic games.
“I am sure the goal of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who introduced this NSD, is to bring the Olympics one day to Qatar,” said al-Sayed, who has been fully supporting cycling, biking, skateboarding and other sporting events in the country.
He stressed that Qatar is the only country in the world with a national holiday to hold a NSD, a unique feat that raises public awareness on the importance of healthy and active lifestyle.
Held every second Tuesday in February, the event encourages individuals, organisations and institutions to hold various sports and other physical activities for one day.
“The Emir’s vision is sports, he is a promoter of sports and that is how the 2022 World Cup came into the picture, lots of amazing events had happened in Qatar,” he said. “And that what makes the country different from others.”
Al-Sayed, son of Salem al-Sayed – the first cycling champion in Qatar, expressed optimism that the country will host more sporting events in the coming years especially before the much-awaited 2022
World Cup.
Efforts to make the annual celebration long-lasting and effective are underway, according to National Sport Day Committee chairman Abdulrahman Mosallam al-Dosari.
He is urging the public sector to develop various programmes that create bigger impacts than just focusing on their employees.