Qatar Foundation holds several NSD events to inspire community

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), and H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of QF, joined hundreds of sports enthusiasts to celebrate National Sport Day (NSD) at the Education City yesterday. A series of activities were held by QF at Al Shaqab’s Indoor Arena to inspire the community to make long-lasting lifestyle changes.
Sheikha Moza and Sheikha Hind toured the events, spoke with some of the participants and watched them enjoy activities.
Events at Al Shaqab’s Indoor Arena began with the QF annual walkathon led by Sheikha Hind. It was followed by other activities including volleyball, football, pony riding, tug-of-war and cycling exercises.
The events reflected QF’s commitment to creating and shaping a healthy and physically active society.
“Our National Sport Day programme is part of a wider, year-round campaign that aims to promote healthy living as an integral part of the day-to-day lives of all Qatar’s residents. Other examples include ‘Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First’, a joint initiative with Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar; and also the ‘Diabetes Prevention Camp’ run by Qatar Diabetes Association,” said Machaille Al Naimi, President of Community Development, QF.
Among the attractions to promote healthy living was QF’s Nutrition Clinic providing nutritional advice to visitors, alongside a number of health food vendors.
An array of stimulating activities such as giant puzzle cubes, shake and rattle, shoot the hula hoop and pony rides were designed especially for children. QF’s innovative National Reading Campaign was also present at Al Shaqab’s Indoor Arena, with games such as Word Stomp for children at the campaign’s reading van, which also operates as a mobile library.
While, many children and adults enjoyed playing golf on a inflatable structure set by the Qatar International Golf Club.
Vodafone’s digital sporting activities was another prominent feature of QF activities held at the Al Shaqab’s Indoor Arena. Participants enjoyed trying a bike simulator that replicates a real outdoor biking experience with options for group rides and races. Playing football and basketball via virtual reality using Vodafone’s 4G network was also popular among the visitors.
Separately, a 40km cycling event started at the Education City which required participants complete the assigned distance within the day.
Additional QF Sport Day activities included ladies-only fitness classes held at Hamad bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Student Center, and QF’s Pre-University Education (PUE) schools marked with range of exciting Sport Day events, ranging from football to traditional games.