2013 National Sport Day Just 20 Days Away

Doha, January 17 (QNA) - Excitement is building for the National Sport Day 2013, with 20 days to go for the prestigious event, to be held on Tuesday February 12 in Doha and across Qatar. The public response is increasingly enthusiastic, with registrations for the day s activities being accepted via the National Sport Day website, more than 700 applications for Volunteers and thousands of people interacting with the National Sport Day on Facebook and Twitter. Qatar s elite athletes are also rallying behind the National Sport Day: The country s top Paralympian, Abdulrahman Abdulqader Abdulrahman, has been recently announced as the first official National Sport Day Ambassador, and other elite athletes from various sports are going to be unveiled soon. The National Sport Day, which enhances the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030, is central to the Country s commitment to sport, in addition to the Schools Olympic Programme , which encourages schoolchildren to practice sport as an integral part of their daily life. Events at the Corniche, Aspire, the Museum of Islamic Art and the Olympic Parks will demonstrate the importance of sport in daily life, in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle: the activities will be open to everyone, men, women, children and people with disabilities. Qatar's only Paralympian Abdulqadir Abdulrahman who was the only the athlete representing his country at London 2012, was named Saturday as the official ambassador of Qatar's sports day which will be celebrated in Doha on February 12, 2013 . Abdulqadir Abdulrahman spoke of his hopes not only for these games, but also for Rio in 2016. He meanwhile explained ," My disability does not prevent me from exercising and achieving high performance levels, and represent my country and raise the banner of Qatar in international fora". Qatar's only Paralympian called upon all residents of Qatar to participate in the National Sports Day, to encourage people to practice different sports. Additionally, a Sport Zone, featuring all-day sport and recreational activities open for all, will be open from February 12 to 16. Across the country, ministries, government departments, public and private sector organisations and sports clubs will be organising sporting activities for all on February 12, 2013. The event aims to create awareness about sports and its health benefits. For his part, Qatar Olympic Committee NSD Head of Media and Communications Sheikh Hamad Abdulaziz J. Al Thani, had earlier said, "Everyone can interact with one another through the official Facebook and Twitter NDS accounts. We invite all to engage and participate, subscribe to the Social Media accounts and share information. The NSD promotes the idea of Sport for All and encourages the adoption of a healthy lifestyle." The NSD official Social Media network is devoted to covering all activities related to the event, which will take place on February 12, 2013 and informs everyone about the importance of Sport and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. The National Sport Day Twitter account Qatar_NSD is being followed by 485 followers with interest in sports activities. Readers can stay updated with news related to NSD by following the account or the Official Hashtag #NSD. The National Sport day is celebrated every second Tuesday of February. The official NSD Facebook page can be accessed at: https://www.facebook.com/QatarNSD and the NSD Twitter account is Qatar_NSD .(QNA)