Aspire International Kite Festival comes to a colourful end
Doha, Qatar: The third edition of Aspire Zone Foundation’s (AZF) Aspire International Kite Festival came to a close after four fun and colour filled days. Over these days, more than 53,000 attendees and 18 international teams benefited from the event and contributed to one of AZF’s most popular annual offerings.
As the festival came to an end, AZF organised a one-of-its-kind closing ceremony to announce the winners of the various competitions. Nasser Abdullah Al-Hajri, Director of PR and Communication at AZF and the member of the organising committee, and the General Manager from sponsor Dolphin Energy, Hassan Al-Emadi, led the closing ceremony’s proceedings.
Commenting on the festival’s conclusion, Mohammed Khalifa Al-Suwaidi, CEO of Aspire Zone Foundation, said; “I would like to congratulate Aspire’s team for their teamwork in hosting such a successful series of events at the 3rd edition of the Aspire International Kite Festival.
“AZF continuously strives to organise ‘sportainment’ activities for families and I’m thrilled to see such massive turnout at this event. Through hosting such festivals with international kiters, we aim to encourage new talent in Qatar to pick-up the talent. It is always a pleasure to see participants return and to welcome new ones.”
Al-Suwaidi added, “The kite extravaganza has become a key local, regional and international attraction, helping Aspire achieve its objectives around promoting active lifestyles. Already a firm favourite among families, we are particularly pleased to have seen 2,500 students from schools across Qatar attend this year. I look forward to welcoming everyone back for the 2020 edition.”
The winners of the photography contest
During the ceremony, AZF also announced the winners of the photography contest that managed to capture best photographic shots throughout the festival. Mohammed bin Fahad Al-Thani, a member of the organising committee awarded the top four winners, with first-place going to Denis Ghamarsha.
Oscar Academy wins the schools competition
Hassan Al-Emadi, the General Manager of main sponsor Dolphin Energy, distributed the awards to the three winning schools. Oscar Academy attained first-place and received 50,000 Qatari riyals; second-place went to Edison International School, with an award of 30,000 Qatari Riyals; and third-place went to Birla public school, with an award of 20,000 Qatari riyals.
Festival’s contests
After the school’s awards, the Director of PR and Communications at AZF and a member of the organising committee, Nasser Abdullah Al-Hajri, gave awards to the German’s ‘Team 4 Fun’ and America’s Spencer Watson for the Best Acrobatic Kites. Scott and Marilynn Hampton won the Design and Innovation Award and Kuwait’s Al-Farsi team won the Best National team Award. Furthermore, Jon and Jill Bloom from the UK won awards for the best kites reflecting Qatari culture.
In addition, an Encouragement Award went to the Qatari team for its promising participation in the third edition of the kite festival. The Qatari team was also notably the youngest delegation among all the participants.
Commenting on the conclusion of the festival, Nasser Abdullah Al-Hajri, said: “The much-awaited festival managed to grab the attention of Qatari citizens as well as local and regional media outlets. At Aspire, we are always looking for new ways to excite people and this event – the most successful so far – has shown we are still able to do so.”
Al-Hajri added, “The photography contest created a social media buzz among photography enthusiasts in Qatar, who rushed to compete and showcase their best techniques. Photographers portrayed the festival and excelled in their contributions to our social media channels, helping to contribute to a massive increase in online viewers.”
