The 17th edition of the School Olympic Programme (SOP) will be officially launched on Monday, September 25. Both public and private school pupils are expected to participate in huge numbers. This was disclosed at a news conference that the chairman and members of the organising committee attended at the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) headquarters. The SOP organising committee and the Qatar Foundation also signed a collaboration agreement during the event. The two sides want to work together to enhance the number of programme participants from different educational institutions in the State of Qatar.
The programme was introduced at the conclusion of the 2006 Doha Asian Games, and coordination with the QOC continues to make the programme successful and identify talents that will support the various teams during the 2030 Doha Asian Games, according to Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al Thani, Chairman of the SOP Organising Committee.
Sheikh Khalifa mentioned the QOC, led by H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, during the press conference. He added that the QOC has grown to be one of the crucial pillars for identifying talented individuals in the nation as well as all programme partners.
According to him, this year's programme will include 19 sports instead of the previous edition's 17 sports. Cricket and hockey will also be added, and the girls' competitions will be improved to be on par with the boys', as part of the talented project to develop and follow up on the talents that stand out in the SOP.
Sheikh Khalifa further disclosed that between 300 and 350 outstanding pupils and between 280 and 300 talented girls were among the program's results from the previous season. He also disclosed that the Qatar Foundation and the QOC had signed a collaboration agreement, which will allow the Foundation to participate in the programme going forward as a partner.
