nieuws in Q
Sports celebrities praise Qatar for making a dream come true
DOHA: The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani inaugurated the Aspire Academy’s new sports dome, the largest indoor facility of its kind in the world, at a glittering function on Thursday evening.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, the Emir’s wife, who is the Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, the Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and H H Sheikh Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani.
A number of their excellencies, the Sheikhs, the Ministers, members of Diplomatic Corps accredited to Qatar as well as several senior officials in charge of education and sports in Qatar were present.
H H Sheikh Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani speaking at the function.
Legendary sports stars such as Pelé and Diego Maradona attended the ceremony. Other top sports celebrities including athletes Ed Moses, Said Aouita and Hicham El Guerrouj, swimmer Mark Spitz, footballer Rabah Madjer and gymnast Nadia Comaneci were also present.
It was for the first time in the Middle East that so many legends from the world of sports assembled at one place at the same time. These new facilities, though attached to the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, form part of the Khalifa Sports City encompassing the newly-renovated Khalifa International Stadium and the Olympic-standard Hamad Aquatic Complex.
H H Sheikh Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani, the inspiration behind this project, expressed his happiness over realising the dream of establishing an academy which he hoped would help Qatar produce some champion athletes in the future. “ The gathering here tonight reflects our seriousness towards achieving our goals and aspirations for which the academy was set up,” Sheikh Jassem said. “We have in our midst many world champions and I am sure they will inspire young Qataris to conquer the world. And we are committed to support them in their pursuit of excellence,” he said.
Sheikh Jassem said the academy would also provide excellent educational support to its students and help them achieve educational qualifications even as they continue their sports programmes. However, Sheikh Jassem said the academy was not setting a timetable to produce a sportsman of international standard, but made it clear that it would work towards creating a distinguished identity for its sports persons wherever and whenever they compete.
All the sports celebrities praised Qatar’s vision and commitment and rated the facilities as one of the best in the world. Maradona said he felt he was in another planet. “This is simply out of this world,” he said. “I feel like I am in another planet.” He congratulated Qatar for its futuristic thinking and willingness to invest huge amounts of money for such projects aimed at making future champions.
The state-of-the-art structure houses an Olympic-sized swimming pool and divin g area, a 200-metre athletics track, a gymnastics hall, a games hall, a full-sized football field with artificial turf and a five-a-side pitch, 11 tennis courts, 13 table tennis courts, eight fencing strips, two squash courts and a wood-floored judo and karate mats. Under the dome’s distinctive sloping roof and the fully-equipped academy, there are also lecture halls, classrooms, science laboratories, dormitories, a library, an amphitheater and a medical centre.
DOHA: The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani inaugurated the Aspire Academy’s new sports dome, the largest indoor facility of its kind in the world, at a glittering function on Thursday evening.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, the Emir’s wife, who is the Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, the Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and H H Sheikh Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani.
A number of their excellencies, the Sheikhs, the Ministers, members of Diplomatic Corps accredited to Qatar as well as several senior officials in charge of education and sports in Qatar were present.
H H Sheikh Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani speaking at the function.
Legendary sports stars such as Pelé and Diego Maradona attended the ceremony. Other top sports celebrities including athletes Ed Moses, Said Aouita and Hicham El Guerrouj, swimmer Mark Spitz, footballer Rabah Madjer and gymnast Nadia Comaneci were also present.
It was for the first time in the Middle East that so many legends from the world of sports assembled at one place at the same time. These new facilities, though attached to the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, form part of the Khalifa Sports City encompassing the newly-renovated Khalifa International Stadium and the Olympic-standard Hamad Aquatic Complex.
H H Sheikh Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani, the inspiration behind this project, expressed his happiness over realising the dream of establishing an academy which he hoped would help Qatar produce some champion athletes in the future. “ The gathering here tonight reflects our seriousness towards achieving our goals and aspirations for which the academy was set up,” Sheikh Jassem said. “We have in our midst many world champions and I am sure they will inspire young Qataris to conquer the world. And we are committed to support them in their pursuit of excellence,” he said.
Sheikh Jassem said the academy would also provide excellent educational support to its students and help them achieve educational qualifications even as they continue their sports programmes. However, Sheikh Jassem said the academy was not setting a timetable to produce a sportsman of international standard, but made it clear that it would work towards creating a distinguished identity for its sports persons wherever and whenever they compete.
All the sports celebrities praised Qatar’s vision and commitment and rated the facilities as one of the best in the world. Maradona said he felt he was in another planet. “This is simply out of this world,” he said. “I feel like I am in another planet.” He congratulated Qatar for its futuristic thinking and willingness to invest huge amounts of money for such projects aimed at making future champions.
The state-of-the-art structure houses an Olympic-sized swimming pool and divin g area, a 200-metre athletics track, a gymnastics hall, a games hall, a full-sized football field with artificial turf and a five-a-side pitch, 11 tennis courts, 13 table tennis courts, eight fencing strips, two squash courts and a wood-floored judo and karate mats. Under the dome’s distinctive sloping roof and the fully-equipped academy, there are also lecture halls, classrooms, science laboratories, dormitories, a library, an amphitheater and a medical centre.
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