Aspire ‘to host more sport, family-oriented activities’

More sports, family-oriented and cultural activities are expected to be hosted at Aspire Zone due to increasing demand from the public, Aspire Zone Foundation events manager Abdullah Al Khater told Gulf Times.

The ‘Aspire In-Side-Out Fun Run 2016’ saw the participation of more than 200 athletes, including many children and their parents.

“At Aspire, we’re always keen to host family-oriented events,” Al Khater told Gulf Times while recalling that in 2015, Aspire Zone Foundation organised “229 different days of action,” which gathered more than 280,000 participants.

He noted that the foundation witnessed a “busy first quarter” this year and is expecting more participants in upcoming events, particularly during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The event kick-started at the Aspire Zone Warm Up Track followed by a 5km outdoor and indoor course, including the interior of the Aspire Dome to provide participants the opportunity to discover other areas of Aspire Zone.

“We want to let the public know the importance of sports and living a healthy lifestyle, and we’re targeting mostly families to provide parents and their children the opportunity to do healthy activities together,” he said.

Ramadan Sports Festival, which will run from June 10 to 24, will showcase 13 sports competitions for all ages and of different categories, featuring the following competitions: cricket, basketball (12 teams with eight players per team for five days), football (16 teams with 15 players per team for eight days), volleyball (eight teams with nine players per team for five days) and beach soccer (eight teams with eight players per team for five days).

Al Khater also said Aspire will organise a three-day tennis competition for adults and young females, including a junior Futsal competition and two Futsal tournaments for Aspire Zone Foundation male staff and a fitness challenge for female staff.

Table tennis tournaments for persons with special needs will be hosted at the multipurpose hall of the Aspire Dome, he said.

“During Ramadan most of the events will be held indoors but there will be some outdoor sports activities at night. The weather in the evening will be helpful for the participants,” he said.

“We also have the Freej Aspire, which is a 10-day event from June 10 to 19 aimed at reviving Qatari traditions and culture. Our Ramadan programme as a whole does not only focus on sports but includes activities related to the Qatari heritage and religious practices,” Al Khater said.

Courtesy: gulf-times.com