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.”

QOC Secretary General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain delivers a speech

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 in Qatari sports, thanks to the distinguished leadership of Their Highnesses and Excellencies who have succeeded to the presidency of the Qatar Olympic Committee and the sincere efforts of all those working in the Olympic Committee.

The Secretary General explained: “The Qatar Olympic Committee has played an important and prominent role over the past 45 years in spreading sports, supporting and developing the Olympic movement, and achieving unprecedented victories in the various tournaments and championships in which Qatari athletes have participated and won numerous medals regionally, continentally and internationally.”

Al Buenain continued: “The efforts of the Qatar Olympic Committee have also contributed to strengthening Qatar’s sporting position on the world stage through the organization of major events and tournaments in various sports, the latest of which was the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024, which was held last February and saw unparalleled success, adding to the series of Qatari strides at the level of organizing world championships.”

He said that what has been achieved is not the end of our goals and aspirations, but we are still looking forward to more achievements in the next stage to keep pace with the comprehensive renaissance that the State of Qatar is witnessing under the wise leadership of His Highness the Emir of the country and the successive achievements in all fields.

The Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee affirmed the Qatar Olympic Committee’s firm commitment to work according to a clear vision and goal, which is to be a leading country that brings the world together through sustainable sports development, and to drive the wheel of sports development through its strategy 2023-2030, which aims to achieve three main goals: ensuring sports excellence, promoting Olympic culture, and achieving comprehensive sports development in line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.

The Qatar Olympic Committee was established on March 14, 1979, and joined the International Olympic Committee in 1980, and the Asian Olympic Council in 1981. It also joined the Union of National Olympic Committees of the Arab Countries in 1982.

Since its establishment, the Qatar Olympic Committee has played a prominent role in spreading sports awareness in the country, sponsoring and developing the Olympic movement according to the foundations on which the Olympic Charter is based, and supporting and developing sports performance, which has contributed to the great boom that the Qatari sports movement has witnessed during the past 45 years.

In line with the efforts of the Qatar Olympic Committee to improve all kinds of sports, many unprecedented achievements have been made on various levels. One of the most prominent sports achievements that have been achieved since the establishment of the Qatar Olympic Committee is the winning of 8 Olympic medals, with two golds, two silvers and four bronzes. The Qatari national teams have also achieved many other outstanding achievements in various