Friday, 21 December 2012
Doha: With the beginning of the current Olympic session 2008-2012, the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and the Supreme Education council have launched the Schools Olympic Programme (SOP) to encourage the community individuals adopt healthy lifestyle.
The SOP is a pioneer idea that came in response to the prestigious initiative of the Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who is also President of the QOC in an attempt to link sports activities with others, beside encouraging schoolchildren to practice sports as an integral part of their daily life.
The SOP has celebrated five years of success with an increase of participation by 400 percent since its inception in 2007-2008. The programme began with 7,000 students and has so far reached 20,000 students from 370 schools.
The current edition of the Schools Olympic Programme is being held under the theme of "sport and investment" where participants compete in nine sports including football, volleyball, basketball, handball, table tennis, athletics, swimming, fencing, gymnastics, and tennis.
The SOP also aims to engage the community in an active, healthy lifestyle and promote a sports culture in Qatar, in line with the goals of Qatar's National Vision 2030.
© The Peninsula 2012
