Qatar Olympic Committee Unveils Details of Second Edition of Flag Relay

Doha, December 11 (QNA) - The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) unveiled details of the second edition of Flag Relay which will be held on Thursday 13th December, where participants will tour different part of the country. The event aims to share pride, unity and inspiration through Team Qatar in celebration of this year's Qatar National Day (QND). HE QOC Secretary-General Jassim Rashid Al Buainain said the QOC is keen to have a positive participation in the country's National Day celebrations, and his year's celebration will be marked by a unique tour, where Flag Relay will visit new areas in order to shed light on the tourist and archaeological areas. He added that the participation will be greater with the opportunity for citizens and residents to express loyalty and belonging to this country through participation in the Flag Relay. He pointed out that the tour is based on three main axes, the first Qatar flag, which expresses national unity, and the second is the tour itself which reflects the multiculturalism of society in a reflection of solidarity, unity and understanding. The third axis is a sport practice through the participation of all in a variety of sports including running, walking, swimming, cycling and others. Director of QOC Marketing and Communication Sheikha Asma Al-Thani highlighted Flag Relay's events this year through the presentation and the unveiling of the flag route map and the key areas to be visited during the tour, saying this year, we will try to record two Gunniess World Records, the first in terms of the highest number of cyclists participating in the tour, which starts from Hamad International Airport to end in Musheireb. The second record that the tour is trying to break, is the number of participants in the running event for 100 meters sequentially in the tour, she added. The Director of QOC Marketing and Communication explained that this will take place in the Oxygen Park, the "green lung" of Education City, as the current record was registered by a group of 252 participants in the United States in 2012. She added that the QOC is working closely with Qatar Foundation in preparing to break this record with the participation of athletes from Al Adam team and members of the Qatar public. Flag Relay 2018 will start at 6 am at QOC Winter Camp in Sealine with the endurance team from Al Shaqab before the flag flies on a small plane to Qatar Racing Club. The flag's journey continues through a number of areas, including Hamad International Airport, where the flag-bearers will walk, and then begin the challenge of breaking the Gunniess World Records with a cycling tour. Through various sporting activities including running and cycling, the flag's journey will continue to visit Hamad Medical Corporation, the Museum of Islamic Art and the Sheraton Park through the Doha Corniche. After that, the flag bearers will head to the Qatar Olympic Committee before taking the flag to Katara, the Pearl, and Qatar University, through a range of other sports activities including driving, swimming, rowing, and sailing. The flag-bearers will then be rowing through the mangroves in the Al Thakira Lake. The flag will then go to several stops to end at Qatar Foundation, where the participants will attempt to achieve a Gunniess record, with the largest number of individuals participating in a distance of 100 meters. After that, the flag's journey continues to Qatar Football Association and from there to the ultimate stop at Aspire Park where the journey concludes with raising of the flag and a series of fun activities in celebration of Qatar National Day. Current and retired athletes, schoolchildren, members from different communities and the general public will have the opportunity to carry the Qatari flag across the country's iconic landmarks, transporting it via a wide-range of sporting activities and culminating in a grand finale at Aspire Zone. This year's Flag Relay aims to raise awareness about cancer and the importance of its early detection. This initiative will be implemented in cooperation with the Qatar Cancer Society to enable cancer patients to live with the disease and encourage fruitful scientific research on the disease. The Flag Relay will see the participation of the patients who recovered from cancer and who will carry the flag from Qatar Foundation to Aspire Park. The flag tour will be organized in cooperation with Toyota, the Blue Salon, Al Meera, Qatar Tourism Authority and Baladna, as the supporters of the tour. This year's tour will be supported by Sealine, Hamad International Airport, Hamad Medical Corporation, Cultural Village-Katara, the Pearl, Qatar University, Lusail City, Qatar Foundation and the Aspire Zone, out of their belief in the Flag Relay's great value and its aim of uniting all members of society under one flag. (QNA)