Inaugurated in 2012, the National Sport Day is held on the second Tuesday of February each year.

It sees people from across Qatar participating in huge number of sporting events from cycling to swimming, football to basketball, and tennis to taekwondo, as well as countless free sporting sessions and social competitions.

The full programme of events is designed to promote healthy living across Qatar while bringing the country together and leaving a lasting legacy for the community.

"This is one of the most exciting days of the year," said Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee.

"Every effort is being made towards ensuring that every single person in the country can have the opportunity to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

"The generous initiative adopted by HH the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to allocate Tuesday in the second week of February every year as National Sport Day, reflects the great interest given by the wise leadership to making sport is one of the strategic tools for achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives."

Qatar's National Sport Day looks to encourage a healthy lifestyle to all individuals across the country and give people the opportunity to participate in a whole host of sporting events ©QOC



Along with the extensive sporting events across the country, National Sport Day will also focus on Qatari culture with a traditional Al Shawahef rowing championship, which will act as a reminder of Qatar's ancient sporting heritage and the role it has played in the country's most recent developments.

Celebrations kicked off early this year following the opening of the Qatar Olympic Committee's Sport Village on February 6.

The Village will act as a central hub on National Sports Day, offering thousands of visitors the opportunity to participate in sports, educational events and entertainment.

Thousands of people have already visited the QOC's Sport Village which was opened on February 6 ©QOC

A number of famed sports men and women have already made appearances at the village with the likes of Olympic shooter Bahiya Al Mansour and Qatar's most capped footballer, Adel Khamis, helping to encourage the next generation of sports star to embrace new skills and opportunities.

"It's been a privilege to be involved in this campaign and the most exciting thing is that the day itself is just getting started," said Khamis.

"Qatar has a proud sporting heritage and through National Sport Day and facilities such as this one, we are most definitely moving in a positive direction.

"My hope is the people of Qatar seize this day to take that step towards healthy living, while the younger generation stay adventurous and try new sports as we look to unearth new talent."

Alongside the Qatar Olympic Committee, American oil and gas giant ExxonMobil has supported the community to get active, healthy and take part in the wide range of free sporting events planned across the country, as official sponsor for a third successive year.

"We see the Qatar Olympic Committee and ExxonMobil Qatar's engagement in Qatar's National Sports Day as an opportunity not only to promote the importance of sports in Qatar, but also to help discover young talents and encourage youth in cultivating their interest in sports," said Bart Cahir, President and general manager of ExxonMobil Qatar Inc.

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