DOHA, April 11, 2018 – Students representing all educational levels and different age groups had showed impressive performance in football finals of the prestigious Schools Olympic Program 2018 held at theAspire Academy.
The event was attended by the Qatar Olympic Committee Secretary General, HE Jassim Al Boenain, HE Rabia Mohammed Al-Kaabi, the Chairman of Qatar School Sports Association beside senior sport officials.
Chairman of the Qatar School Sports Association (QSSA) Rabia Mohammed Al-Kaabi said that Qatar is a pioneer in hosting of the Olympic school programme, which was established 11 years ago. Al-Kaabi was speaking on Tuesday after the conclusion of the football competitions held at Aspire Academy for all school grades.
The 11th edition of the programme witnessed a massive response, with 3,000 students representing 192 schools, of which 98% where state schools. Al-Kaabi praised the interaction of schools, students, and parents and said number of talents emerge every year, benefiting clubs and teams.
On whether the Organising Committee intends to increase the number of sports in the next edition, Al-Kaabi said: “The committee is in the process of a comprehensive evaluation of this year's edition. The competitions were held in 12 sports and the committee will see whether it is necessary to add new events next year. We will consult with Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and the federations concerned and then take a decision."
In football, Newton school defeated Iqra school in the final of the first level to clinch the title. In the second level, Malik bin Anas defeated Jabir ibn Hayyan school 5-4 via penalties to win the title. In the third level, Yarmouk triumphed after defeating Abu Bakr Assedeeq 3-0 in the final match. For the fourth level title, MES Indian School won 1-0 against Birla Public School.
Meanwhile, QSSA Secretary-General Ali al-Hitmi said the football finals achieved their goal in this edition of the programme. He congratulated the winning teams, stressing that the Olympic Program covers all the schools in Qatar.
Al-Hitmi said: “The wise leadership of the country believes that investing in human resources and generations through sports is one of the main methods to achieve development goals. Sport is capable of becoming one of the main ways of achieving social and individual development as all the benefits that come from sports are goals for a healthy and developed community as sports plays an important role in developing social and educational systems."
QSSA Executive Director Abdulrahman al-Muftah reiterated the success of the 11th edition of the Olympic programme and thanked QOC and all the entities that supported the implementation of the programme in a unique way, which, he said, would undoubtedly benefit the students greatly.
Al-Muftah added that the interaction of school and entities confirms that the programme is achieving its required goals which includes finding talent and encouraging students to make sports a way of life due to its importance and benefits. He added that sports also helps them create a personality that benefits the community. Sport has gained great importance in harnessing the efforts of societies to achieve their development goals at the social, economic and cultural levels and paying attention to sport is a characteristic unique to modern societies, and Qatar is one of the first countries to do that, al-Muftah said.
Saeed Al-Marri, football competitions manager at Aspire Academy and the Olympic Program's football supervisor, said the 11th edition of the Olympic Program was unique, was crucial in discovering talents. He added that 70 players were chosen to join a three-day programme where all clubs will be invited to recruit players.