Doha: The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) yesterday celebrated the 45th anniversary of its establishment on March 14, 1979. The QOC held a ceremony on this occasion at the Fairmont Hotel in the presence of QOC President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani. The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Sports and Youth H E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, a number of Gulf and Qatari sports leaders, and representatives of the Olympic committees of the West Asia region.
At the beginning of the ceremony, a film was screened about the history and achievements of the Qatar Olympic Committee over the past 45 years. Sheikh Joaan honoured Team Qatar promising stars who accomplished achievements in the first GCC Youth Games "UAE 2024". Then, QOC Secretary General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain delivered a speech in which he said: "It is my pleasure to welcome you to this ceremony on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Qatar Olympic Committee on March 14, 1979, which marked the beginning of the journey to develop the sports movement in the State of Qatar, leading to what we are witnessing today of a sports renaissance full of achievements on all levels.
" He added: "The Qatar Olympic Committee has achieved great successes in various fields since its inception in 1979 and continues to do so, thanks to God and the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the country." And during those years, it made a qualitative leap .
