Doha, Qatar, September 7, 2022: The search for new talent will get underway with hundreds of students, both boys and girls, competing at the 16th Schools Olympic Programme (SOP) in Qatar.
The SOP Organising Committee which held a press conference last Sunday, September 5, stressed that the new edition will be held with an eye on preparing a new generation of athletes for the 2030 Asian Games in Doha.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al Thani, Chairman of the Organising Committee, thanked H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and H.E. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, QOC Secretary General, for their support to the SOP.
Hamad Al Obaidly, Deputy Chairman of SOP Organising Committee, revealed that the new edition will feature 18 sports including athletics, basketball, hockey, football, gymnastics, fencing, padel, shooting, swimming, tennis, taekwondo and volleyball.
The Schools Olympic Programme was founded in 2007 as a legacy from the 2006 Doha Asian Games. The prestigious national event is held annually as a collaborative effort of the Qatar School Sports Association and Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
The SOP is in line with other initiatives in economic, social, human and environmental spheres undertaken by the Qatar Government as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030.