Amiri Diwan Declares Feb 8 as National Sports Day Holiday

Qatar National Sports Day 2022

The Amiri Diwan announced today that on the occasion of the National Sports Day, which is marked on the second Tuesday of February every year, it will be a public holiday on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, corresponding to Rajab 1443 AH.

Qatar National Sports Day 2022

The National Sport Day Committee has announced that all group sports activities and events to mark National Sport Day (NSD) this year will be held outdoors, after co-ordination with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

This came in accordance with the recent Cabinet decision and in co-ordination with the MoPH regarding the requirements and guidelines for sports activities and events in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19), the committee said.

COVID-19 Restrictions for NSD 2022

The National Sports Day Committee called on all members of society who practice sports to adhere to the preventative measures, noting the possibility of using all sports training devices in parks, sports tracks and all other places, in accordance with the decisions of the MoPH in this regard.

• The number of participants in a single event must not exceed 15 vaccinated people, while they must not exceed five if the participants have not completed the vaccination doses, such as children under 12, provided that they show a negative Covid-19 result through a rapid antigen test within 24 hours before participating.

• Everyone must adhere to the safe distance of at least one meter all the time during the activity.

• The Committee also stressed the need to commit not to share personal items, such as drinking bottles.

• Hand sanitiser sites must be available in all activity areas.

• The Committee emphasised the need for all participants to download the Ehteraz phone app.

• Only those who appear to have a “Green” health state on the app will be allowed to participate, while those infected will not be allowed to participate unless they have fully recovered and have obtained a negative result in the PCR test or the rapid antigen test, and spent seven days after the infection.

• The Committee recommends that non-vaccinated groups, especially people aged over 60 years and people with chronic diseases, to not participate in the activities for their own safety.

• The Committee highlighted the importance that participants in the National Sports Day events practice their activities in a way that achieves the desired goals and ensures the preservation of public health and safety for all.

About National Sports Day

The Emiri Decree No. 80 of 2011 designated the second Tuesday of February of each year shall be a Sports Day for the State, when everyone is encouraged to participate in sporting activities with colleagues and family.

The first National Sport Day was held in 2012 and was designated for sporting endeavors by the citizens of Qatar.

The day’s main purpose is to promote sports and to educate the local population on ways to reduce health risks associated with an inactive lifestyle, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Many government ministries and private sector companies organize hundreds of activities and sport day events for employees and the general public. Notably the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), Aspire Zone, and various other sporting organizations play a prominent role at a number of events across Qatar.

Activities range from football to basketball, tennis to taekwondo, cycling to swimming, with countless free sporting sessions and social competitions, available to all.

The day is also viewed as an opportunity to bring communities closer together through sport, based on the sporting principles of team building, inclusion and unity, participation, fitness and health.

Along with the extensive sporting events across the country, National Sport Day also focuses on Qatari culture with traditional Al Shawahef rowing championships, acting as a reminder of Qatar’s ancient sporting heritage and the role it has played in the country’s most recent developments.

Qatar was the first to organise a national sport day at the level of the region and the world.

Sources: Amiri Diwan and Hukoomi