by Armstrong Vas
Doha: The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday declared open the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship at the newly built Lusail Multipurpose Hall. Qatar beat Brazil 28-23 in the opening game.
The 60-minute ceremony, which featured never-seen pyrotechnic displays and loud music, produced by David Atkins Enterprises, the same firm which produced the dazzling opening ceremony of the Doha Asian Games in 2006 and the Arab Games in 2011, took the audience to futuristic sporting journey of the country.
The 15,000-capacity stadium attracted a full house. The brilliant show which was laced with laser light display saw the host nation make its commitment to its future to sport through its children, their aspirations and education.
The ceremony also focused on Qatar’s efforts in having a healthy society. “Striving for excellence in body and mind, creating an environment where health, fitness, intellect and aspirations are all supported and honoured is Qatar’s pledge now and to its future generations,” David Atkins, Artistic Director of the championship, said.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar 2015 Organising Committee, dedicated the championship to the children of the world. “We dedicate this edition of the Men’s Handball World Championship Qatar 2015 to the children of the world. The proceeds of tickets sales will go to the Education Above All programme “Educate A Child”, as part of our efforts to support projects aiming to help childhood and education,” Sheikh Joaan said.
“I am honoured to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for his endless support to the sports in our country, which is aligned with the key pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030. Inspired by this vision, countless efforts have been deployed to establish impressive sports landmarks with international standards, to help guide local institutions to support sport and athletes. Thankfully, Qatar has become a global sport destination uniting people from all over the world in a safe and competitive environment.”
Dr Hassan Mustafa, IHF President, thanked the Qatari leadership for promoting the game at all level in the country and urged the competing countries to play the game in a fair manner.
“I would like to extend my deepest appreciation and gratefulness to the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for hosting this global event. We trust that it will be a remarkable championship. We also thank His Highness for his endless support to Qatari handball game leading it to become a powerful game in the Asian level for all age groups.
He also thanked Sheikh Joaan, Ahmed Al Shaabi, President of Qatar Handball Association and the Vice President of Qatar 2015 Organising Committee, and Dr Thani Abdulrahman Al Kuwari, Director-General of Qatar 2015 Organising Committee, for their efforts ahead of the global event.
“Qatar has spared no effort, nor financial support to establish new sport venues for the championship which were all built as per international standards and in record time. One of these venues is the headquarters of the Qatar Handball Association. On this point, I’d like to thank the Qatari authorities led by H E the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Minister of Defence, and H E Minister of Youth and Sports for their support,” he added.
The 2015 edition of the International Handball Federation’s (IHF) World Championship is contested by 24 teams at three newly constructed state-of-the-art arenas. Qatar 2015 will truly be a historic milestone for the world of handball as it will be the first single city to host a Men’s Handball World Championship.
After 18 competition days the World Champion will raise the massive trophy on February 1 at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall.
The Peninsula
