QOC Meets Palestinian Sport Delegation

Doha, May 29 (QNA) - Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), headed by HE Secretary General Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, on Wednesday met with a Palestinian sports delegation, headed by Supreme Youth and Sports Council board member Abdulsalam Haniyeh, currently on a visit to Doha. At the outset of the meeting, HE the QOC secretary general welcomed the Palestinian delegation wishing them a pleasant stay in Qatar and pointing to the deep ties between the two countries including the sports areas. He underlined the directives of HH the Heir Apparent and QOC President Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to offer all sporting facilities of Qatar to support Palestinian sport. He also expressed pleasure at the visit of the Palestinian delegation and the participation of Palestinian athletes in the "Gaza and Doha are One City" week, which comes as part of Doha's support for Palestinian athletes, adding that these efforts are the duty of Qatar and QOC towards Palestine. For his part, Haniyeh thanked Qatar and QOC for their continuous support for Palestinian sport, hailing the role of Qatar in establishing and maintaining sports facilities in Palestine. He said the "Gaza and Doha are One City" week enhances relations between the Palestinian and Qatari peoples, noting that this was not the first time for Doha to host Palestinian athletes. QOC is currently home to a week-long training camp for four Palestinian teams, during which they hold friendly games against Qatari sides. Besides training sessions for volleyball, basketball and handball teams, the itinerary of the Palestinian teams features visits to the Olympics exhibition, which is held at Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum (QOSM) until the end of June. The program also sees them visit Qatar Museum Authority's (QMA) "Arab Women in Sports" exhibition at Katara. The Palestinian delegation will also attend domestic gams, including HH the Heir Apparent handball Cup final on Thursday at Al-Gharafa Indoor Hall. They will also be briefed on the Schools Olympic Program and visit one of the participant schools as the delegation aims to mirror the experiment in Palestine. (QNA)