Qatar Olympic Committee Unveils Sports Day Mascot

Doha , February 10 (QNA) - The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) unveiled Sunday the official mascot of this year's national sports day, which will take place on Tuesday. The announcement was made in today's press conference in the presence of Vice-Chairman Meshal Nasser Al Khalifa and the creator and designer of Qatar 2011 Asian Cup mascots. The committee chose the two bunnies Khazaz and Adina to represent this year's event, which is held on the Tuesday of the second week of February of each year. The national sports day initiative, launched by HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Olympic committee. The initiative was part of the vision of HH the Heir Apparent of Qatar National Vision 2030. Al Khalifa said that the new mascot will be the symbol of the national sports year for many years to come. He said that the State of Qatar's move to give a day off to allow citizens practicing sport was an inspiring step toward changing the lifestyles. Designer of the mascot Majid Al Maadeed said that he was happy to have an impact in the national sports day. He added that the Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Soud bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani was keen that the mascot of the national sports day reflected the heritage of Qatar and its identity, which led to the birth of Khazaz and Adina. He said the mascot were inspired from wild bunnies that inhabit the Qatari desert. The wild rabbit was never used as a mascot for any previous sports competition in Qatar. The committee plans a range of promotional events for children during the sports day. The events will help raise the awareness of the children regarding the importance of sports in improving health. (QNA)