Instilling a love of sports in the country’s youth

Students at Qatar Foundation (QF) schools, have called on young people throughout Qatar to participate in the country’s National Sport Day – and seize the opportunity that it allows them to embrace new sports.

Essa Abdulla Al-Jumaliy and AlMaha Al Abduljabbar also encouraged parents to take their children to participate in this annual event, so that they grow to love sports and learn about the benefits they bring, having both been instilled with a love of sports due to the encouragement they received from their family, which had a great impact on instilling a love of sports in them.

"My fondness for sports did not start by chance,” says AlMaha, a third-year student at Qatar Academy Sidra, one of the schools under Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education.

“I grew up in a sports-loving family, as my father works for the Qatar Football Association, in addition to his work as an international swimming referee in his youth. Also, my grandmother was a sports teacher and worked in the Qatar Women's Sports Committee.

"I came to understand the value and benefits of sport through the stories I heard from my family members, and from watching television interviews in which my father talked about organizing football tournaments through the Federation. He has always encouraged me to play sports from an early age, like he did, and gave me sports-related presents to motivate me to continue.

“National Sport Day occupies a special place among my family as it represents an opportunity for everyone to enjoy activities and try different sports throughout Qatar. We always spend sports day checking out the activities held at Katara, Aspire Zone, and Education City.”

AlMaha has been practicing gymnastics since 2019 at the Qatar Gymnastics Association, and this year she has started taking swimming lessons at Al Sadd Sports Club.

Essa, a Grade 10 student at Qatar Leadership Academy – which comes under QF’s Pre-University Education – also grew up in a family that values sports and fitness, and understands its importance to, and impact on the mental, physical, and social health of children and young people.

“I was once overweight, and I resolved to do something about it because I wanted to have an athletic body, and that's when my journey of regular exercising began,” he said. “After one year of exercising and following a healthy diet, along with the encouragement of my family, I succeeded in reaching my goal and enjoying the physique that I wanted to get.

“I believe that the benefits gained by exercising are not limited to physical benefits only, but also have a clear impact on improving mental health, as exercising automatically helps people get rid of negative energy automatically, and it also helps them organize their time and take advantage of leisure time. Exercising also has a positive impact on self-confidence, which I know from my personal experience.”

Since his childhood, Essa has been practicing horse riding, and has participated in many tournaments such as the Horseback Shooting Championship, organized by the Horseback Archery Center, where he took second place. He also practices running, weightlifting, and CrossFit.

He believes that National Sport Day serves as a renewed reminder of the importance of sports. "Given the positive effects that sports have on wellbeing and productivity, Qatar’s National Sport Day is a symbol of the country’s awareness of the importance of instilling a love of sports in young people, and among people of all ages in the country.

“Qatar has designated National Sport Day as a holiday to allow everyone to participate in sporting activities, release the pressures of work and life, and regain energy."

As they taught him the basics of horse riding, Essa aspires to follow in the footsteps of his two brothers in this field and intends to compete at the local and international levels. He also believes that Qatari youth are particularly prominent in traditional sports such as horse riding.