As sporting fever spreads across the country ahead of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 later this month, Oryx International School (OIS) had the opportunity to participate in an athletics workshop for children aged 10 to 15 years old.
The workshop saw 75 students from OIS take part in a number of disciplines, competing to be crowned the winner in a one-day sporting spectacular organised by Qatar Airways, Aspire Academy and the Local Organising Committee for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
As part of the activities, OIS students took part in Aspire Academy’s Talent Identification Program, aimed at educating the students on some of the skills and attributes required to be an elite athlete. Established in 2004, Aspire has since produced a number of high-performance athletes for Team Qatar such as Olympian and World Champion Mutaz Barshim (High Jump), Abubaker Haydar Abdalla (800-m) and Ashraf El Seify (Hammer Throw). They will also be competing at the IAAF World Athletic Championships later this month.
Oryx Kid Club Mascots Orry and Orah the Oryx, and IAAF Doha 2019 Mascot Falah the Falcon, presented students with gift bags to remember the day, and as an added bonus from Qatar Airways, each student were also given tickets to the championships.
Qatar Airways Senior VP for Marketing and Corporate Communications Salam Al Shawa said they are delighted to bring the excitement of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 to students of Oryx International School.
Sport is a key pillar of the long-term vision of the State of Qatar, and as the National Airline Partner of the Championships, we welcome these opportunities to showcase how sport can support the development of our future generations and bring people together from around the world.’
Sheikha Asma Al Thani, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Local Organising Committee, said that through the enthusiasm and excitement of their partners (for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019), they were able to spread the excitement into our communities.
Head of Aspire National Talent Identification Program Anthony Hazeldine, meanwhile said that students enjoy being tested with the same physical tests that many of the athletes competing at the IAAF World Athletics Championships would have done in their youth.
Probably because there is no right or wrong answer to these tests, it’s mostly about their own effort and determination. The students were amazed when we raised the bar on the vertical jump test to show them how high Mutaz Barshim could jump while at their age. Through the testing, they gained an appreciation for the amazing efforts that Qatar’s very own athletes have achieved over a relatively short time.’
Oryx International School Executive Principal Derek Laidlaw said they are delighted to have been afforded this opportunity by the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, Qatar Airways and Aspire Academy.
This event will offer insight into the world of athletics, sport science and also test our students’ sporting endurance. Oryx students come from more than 90 different countries, reflecting our and Qatar Airways’ global diversity and how this can be united though sport.’
As a national partner, Qatar Airways will fly in over 3,500 athletes, coaches and technical officials for the ten-day event which gets underway starting this Friday, 27 September at Khalifa International Stadium. Visit iaafworldathleticschamps.com for updates and more information about the event.