Under the patronage of Her Excellency Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi the honorable Minister for Education and Higher Education of the State of Qatar, the first ever inter-centre modified sports competitions for children with disabilities was conducted on 09 March 2024 at the American School of Doha’s sports hall.
Based on a proposal from HOPE Qatar Centre for Persons with Disabilities, this competition jointly organized with the Educational Services Centres Department witnessed 83 athletes with disabilities from 11 centres participate in 27 events and take away over 42 medals and 29 medallions, and most importantly achieve a sense of self-worth and accomplishment. The athletes represented 27 different nationalities including nationals and expatriates from Qatar.
The event brought together management and faculty of special education centres under a common platform for the very first time, paving way for many more such events to enhance the opportunities for children and youth with disabilities in Qatar. 174 volunteers from 9 different organizations came together to support the organizers during the event that witnessed a total footfall of 525 verified individuals.
The success of Riyadatee 2024 which bore the tagline ‘We are all winners’ has encouraged the organizers to start working on an inter-centre display of cultural abilities of children and youth with disabilities, and also explore working towards the next edition of Riyadatee 2025 which aims to bring in differently abled students not just from the centres for disabilities but also the mainstream government and private schools in Qatar, with the intention of making Riyadatee a national, regional, and international event in years to come.
