Qatar Olympic Committee reveals Flag Relay schedule as more than 1000 set to participate

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Qatar Olympic Committee unveiled on Tuesday the final details of the second edition of Flag Relay, which takes place on Thursday and sees the Qatari flag tour the country, carried proudly by hundreds of participants.

Flag Relay aims to share pride, unity and inspiration through the flag in celebration of Qatar’s National Day five days later.

HE Jassim Rashid Al Buenain, Secretary General of Qatar Olympic Committee, briefed the media during a press conference in which he outlined the program for Flag Relay 2018 that will feature attempts to break two Guinness World Records.
HE Al Buenain said: “Flag Relay is based on three main axes: the Qatari flag, which represents our national unity, the event itself including participants, which represents our multicultural society in reflection of solidarity, unity and understanding, and the third element is sport through the participation in a number of different sports such as running, walking, swimming, cycling.”
More than 1,000 people will take part in Flag Relay 2018, including current and former Team Qatar athletes, ambassadors and diplomats, nearly 800 schoolchildren, 10 cancer survivors, as well as 200 participants from the public.
International football superstars Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto’o who play in Qatar will also be part of Flag Relay, bringing a wealth of inspiration to the young participants and demonstrating the global status of Qatar as a sports pioneer.
“We are proud of Qatar Cancer Society’s participation in order to spread awareness of early diagnosis of cancer. What distinguishes this edition of Flag Relay is the attempts to break two Guinness World Records. We would like to thank all sponsors and partners for their support in this national event and we thank everyone for their keenness to express their love for Qatar,” HE Al Buenain added.
Participants will carry the Qatari flag across 19 iconic landmarks around the country, starting from Team Qatar’s Winter Camp in Sealine and transporting it towards a grand finale at Aspire Zone.
“The idea behind Flag Relay is to express pride in the flag and what it means for the country’s unity and people’s solidarity across Qatar,” said Sheikha Asma Al-Thani, Director of Marketing and Communications at Qatar Olympic Committee.
“We chose the stops carefully to include landmarks that reflect different sides of Qatar’s history and present from education to sport and culture to entertainment, while also paying tribute to our beautiful nature and environment,” she added.
Flag Relay 2018 will start at 6 a.m. at QOC Winter Camp in Sealine before it flies on a small plane to Qatar Racing Club. After that, the flag’s journey continues through several stops, including Hamad International Airport where flagbearers walk with the flag before a Guinness World Record is attempted on the way to Msheireb Properties for the most people in a cycling relay.
Mariam Farid, Team Qatar’s sprinter, Flag Relay ambassador and representative of Qatar Women's Sports Committee, said: "This event makes us all proud as we raise the Qatari flag. It is also an honor for us as women, as Qatar Women's Sports Committee and also as female athletes. We must do everything we can to raise the flag for Qatar because it deserves the best from us. I will participate in the attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the largest number of participants running 100m relay in an hour.
Jogging, cycling and walking are among the other activities that will continue the maroon flag’s trip through Hamad Medical Corporation, the Museum of Islamic Art and Sheraton Park. After that, flagbearers will jog with the maroon flag and make a stop at Qatar Olympic Committee before carrying on to Katara, the Pearl and Qatar University via different activities, including driving, swimming, rowing and sailing.
Jabr Al Mutawa, a Team Qatar tennis player, said: “I am so proud and so honored to participate in this major event, which symbolizes pride and honor for every Qatari living on this blessed land. As HH Amir said that Qatar deserves the best, we all have to work hard and strive for it. I participated in last year’s edition which was very successful and I’m very excited to be part of this year’s edition."
Flagbearers will fly with the flag over Al Thakhira Mangroves and arrive at Qatar Foundation on a gyrocopter. Once at Qatar Foundation, participants which will include Team Qatar athletes and the public will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people running 100 meters in a 1-hour relay.
Jawahar Al Mutawa, a former national basketball, handball and equestrian player, a diving trainer in the Middle East and founder of Ektshef Derati Foundation, said: "This year's edition will see the participation of different segments of our society, not only from the sports field. I am proud, and I feel the big responsibility on my shoulders to be one of the flagbearers in this event that celebrates Qatar’s National Day. I will participate in breaking two Guinness World Records. I would like to thank Qatar Olympic Committee for selecting me to be one of the ambassadors for Flag Relay, and I would like to specially thank QOC President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani for his constant support for sports and athletes."
The penultimate stop for Flag Relay 2018 will be Qatar Football Association, from which flagbearers will walk to Aspire Park where the flag’s journey concludes with a series of fun activities in celebration of Qatar National Day.
For Majdolina Langi, a cancer survivor who will take part in the second edition of Flag Relay, participation is a way to highlight the importance of sport in her journey. “I can say that cancer gave me a new lease on life, but sport gave me life. Qatar gave me life. I think that is a really important message. Sport crosses all boundaries.”
“I’m really excited about the flag relay. I was invited by Qatar Olympic Committee to participate,” she said, adding: “I felt this is really an interesting moment. I’ll be proud to do it. It is time for me to give something back to Qatar.”
Asked on the possibility of the Flag Relay turning into a global event, HE Al Buainain said: "The idea of this event came from the Olympic torch relay, and it was linked to the Qatari flag as it takes place in Qatar. It will remain in Qatar because it represents National Day celebrations. As for raising the flag out of Qatar, this is the duty of our athletes who always strive to make Qatar proud in international platforms.”