Winners of Table Tennis competition for people with special needs named

DOHA: Over 36 participants recently participated in the sixth annual Table Tennis competition for people with special needs, organized by Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF), in collaboration with the Qatar Paralympic Committee.

This came as part of AZF’s Ramadan Sports Festival (RSF). The event provided an opportunity for all community members irrespective of their physical disabilities to take part in sporting activities during Ramadan.

Over 36 participants competed in four categories at the one-day event: Visual, physical (sitting/standing), mental, and hearing impairments. Participant Ikrami Fouad from the visually-impaired category and participant Mostafa Ameen from the physical impairment category won first place in their respective categories for the second year running.

Meanwhile, participant Mohammed Musa won first place in the mentally-impaired category, and Ibrahim Mesaad won the hearing-impaired category.

Winners were announced by Abdullah Aman Al Khater, Director of Events and Venues at AZF, Abdullah Al-Mulla, Chairman of the Qatari Cultural and Social Centre for the Deaf, Hussain Haddad, Manager of the tournament from the Qatar Paralympic Committee and Abdullah Al Mohannadi, Events Manager at Ooredoo.

Talking to The Peninsula, Abdullah Saleh Al Bouanin, Member of RSF organizing committee said: “Ramadan Sports Festival is one of its kind activity in Qatar. The aim of our festival is to indulge all aged female, male and children in healthy lifestyle during Holy month of Ramadan. Aspire provides top-class facilities to every individual living in Qatar whether its indoor or outdoor.”

“The special needs table tennis gathers different age of males under one roof to interact and enjoy the sport. The sport is divided into different parts as per the disabilities, it is a beautiful environment to see,” he added.

This year over 36 participants took part belonging to different disability.

“Last year we had around 20 participants and this year it has increased which shows an active participation from this category. This year people with low vision got their specially designed tables to play table tennis. We hope to indulge these participants with other people next year to show them they all are treated equally,” Hussain Haddad, Manager of the tournament from the Qatar Paralympic Committee told The Peninsula.

Separately, AZF will organise an open day for people with special needs to try the indoor swimming pool at the Aspire Dome tomorrow at 9:30pm to 11pm.

The event, organised in partnership with non-profit organisation, Freestyle Aquatics, is part of an initiative launched last year as part of AZF’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, which seeks to engage people with special needs in various sports anytime of the year.

By Amna Pervaiz Rao / The Peninsula

نظمت مؤسسة أسباير زون، الأربعاء، أمسية رياضية لمحبي كرة الطاولة من متحدي الإعاقة، بالتعاون مع الاتحاد القطري لذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة، في إطار سعي المؤسسة لإتاحة الفرصة لأبناء المجتمع بشرائحه كافة، للاستمتاع بأجواء الرياضة في رمضان على اختلاف مهاراتهم وقدراتهم البدنية.

وشارك في البطولة الوحيدة من نوعها في قطر خلال شهر رمضان ما يزيد على 36 لاعباً، في منافسات موزعة على 4 فئات لمتحدي الإعاقات السمعية والحركية والبصرية والذهنية.

تتويج الفائزين

وفي ختام المباريات التي استمرت على مدار 4 ساعات متواصلة، جاءت المراكز الأولى من نصيب اللاعب مصطفى أمين في منافسات فئة الإعاقة الحركية، واللاعب إبراهيم مسعد في منافسات فئة الإعاقة السمعية، واللاعب إكرامي أحمد في منافسات فئة الإعاقة البصرية، واللاعب محمد موسى في منافسات فئة الإعاقة الذهنية.

يوم مفتوح للسباحة الحرة

كما ستقوم المؤسسة بتنظيم يوم مفتوح لمتحدي الإعاقة، لتجربة رياضة السباحة في مسبح قبة أسباير في التاسعة والنصف من صباح اليوم إلى الحادية عشرة مساء، بالتعاون مع منظمة «فريستايل أكواتيكس» غير الربحية، في امتداد للمبادرة التي أطلقتها المؤسسة ضمن أنشطة المسؤولية الاجتماعية في المؤسسة، لدعم ذوي الإعاقة، وتزويدهم بالفرص المتاحة لممارسة الرياضة المفضّلة لديهم في أي وقت من السنة.;