www.thepeninsulaqatar.com BUSINESS | 23 SPORT | 34 Minister visits McCullum bids Sudair Industrial farewell with City in Saudi lasting legacy TUESDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2016 • 30 Rabia II 1437 • Volume 20 • Number 6701 thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar More than 200 Prime Minister attends AIPS Congress events lined up for Sport Day health and professional development of individuals. Fifty government She pointed out that the leader- entities and 17 sports ship of the country had a head start clubs are organising among other nations of the world by allocating a day for sports at the events ranging from state level, recognising that sport is Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani at the 79th session of International Sports Press marine and aerial an essential component for a healthy Association (AIPS) Congress organised by Qatar Sports Media Committee in Doha yesterday. Qatar Olympic Committee President H E eikhSh living. Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani also attended the Congress. →Report on page 2 activities to games The Ministry is organising a such as basketball, programme including a walk with participation of employees from the soccer and beach Ministry of Public Health, Hamad handball as part of Medical Corporation (HMC), and Windy weather the National Sport Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), under one umbrella for the Commemorative NSD stamp released forecast today Day today first time “The Ministry of Public Health”. By Raynald C Rivera More than 200 events and activ- The Peninsula The Peninsula ities are being organised at various The Peninsula locations to celebrate the National- Sport Day today. Katara, one of the main NSD hubs, will see over 80 DOHA: Qatar Postal Services DOHA: As Qatar marks the events and activities taking place Company (Q-Post) yesterday National Sport Day today, the DOHA: As the country marks at the Esplanade and on the beach issued a commemorative stamp Meteorology Department has fore- National Sport Day (NSD) today, from 8am till 10pm. to mark the fifth National Sport understand its meaning. National first day covers, each of which costs cast a windy and dusty day. the Minister of Public Health H E Fifty government entities and Day (NSD). Sport Day is a very important event QR6, are also ready. Qatar is one Strong dust winds could hit Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari has 17 sports clubs are organising the With a dimension of 47mm by on the calendar which everyone of the few countries which desig- all parts of the country reducing urged people to engage in sport and events ranging from marine and 31mm, the postage stamp bears the must support,” Abdulla Shlash Al nate a day to celebrate sport and visibility, warned the depart- healthy lifestyle to avoid diseases aerial activities to games such as NSD logo reminding the people of Hajri, CEO Human Resources and issuing a sport day commemora- ment yesterday. It would be cold and lead a quality life. basketball, soccer and beach hand- the importance of celebrating the Services at QPost, told The Penin- tive stamp is seen as a significant by night, with the day’s tempera- The Minister stressed that the ball. There will also be free medical annual public holiday. sula yesterday. step for further exposure to the cel- ture hovering between 15 and 23 positive development of physical screening and health tips as well as “We issued this commemora- Each stamp is priced QR5, and ebration internationally. degrees Celsius in Doha , having activity is a necessity to overcome sport workshops for various ages. tive stamp for everyone feel the 40,000 units are available for sale slight variations in other areas. physical, psychological and behav- spirit of National Sport Day and starting today. Some 2,000 units of →Continued on page 5 Messaied, Wakra, Dukhan and Abu ioural problems and is crucial for the →Continued on page 5 Samra are expected to be colder. UAE plans to Men’s Tour of Qatar Qatar hopes to host 2028 Olympics trim ministries & outsource AFP Championships in 2019, the football Cup, including the building of a metro World Cup in 2022 and the 2023 FINA system in Doha. most services world swimming championships. Qatar previously unsuccessfully In addition, Qatar has in the past bid to host the 2020 Summer Olym- DOHA: Qatar has a “vision and tar- 12 months hosted a world handball pics, which will be hosted in Japan. Reuters get” of hosting a Summer Olympics championships and the paralympics Doha was strongly expected to and will bid to hold future games, a athletics world championships. bid for the 2024 games but in the end senior member of the Qatar Olym- “All the facilities are going to be decided against running. pic Committee (QOC) said yesterday. ready for everything, especially after Kawari added that the decision DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates Dr Thani Al Kuwari, Secretary- 2022, the facilities almost 99 percent was taken because Qatar wanted plans to outsource most govern- General of the QOC added that the are ready,” he added. to ensure “we are strong in every ment tasks to the private sector country would undoubtedly bid to “Also, the logistics for those facil- aspect” of the bid. and cut the number of ministries, host an Olympics, maybe as early as ities are completed, so why not? Despite pledges from Qatar that Prime Minister Sheikh Moham- the 2028 games. He added: “So we are hoping to stadiums would be air-conditioned med bin Rashid Al Maktoum said “The vision and the target is to have one day, you never know, Maybe for players and spectators, foot- yesterday. host one of the Olympics, one day,” he 2028.” ball’s governing body, FIFA, last year The announcement comes said on the fringes of a sports report- One of the stadiums which will decided to switch the tournament to as energy-rich Gulf Arab states ers’ conference. host World Cup games in 2022, the be played in November and Decem- have been hit by low oil prices, Asked if Qatar would bid in the Khalifa International Stadium, will ber 2022. When Qatar was awarded encouraging them to streamline future, he replied: “Of course.” also be the site of the 2019 athletics football’s biggest tournament, it was British rider Mark Cavendish celebrates on the podium after winning institutions and attract more for- Kuwari pointed to the fact that championships. initially meant to host it in the sum- eign investment. stage one of Men’s Tour of Qatar from Dukhan to Al Khor Corniche Qatar is busy building facilities which Outside stadiums, Qatar is under- mer months, when temperatures can “We will have a road map to yesterday. → See also Page 36 Pic: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula could be used at an Olympics, for going a massive multi-billion dollar reach up to 50 degrees celsius (122 outsource most government serv- such events as the World Athletics building programme for the World fahrenheit). ices to the private sector ... The new government will have a smaller number of ministries and more ministers to deal with national and strategic issues,” the prime minister said on his official Twit- Iraq deploying thousands of troops to retake Mosul ter account. He announced the formation of a single education ministry, AFP more than 18 months as the country’s said the officer, who is part of the It is the largest city held by IS, and likely take longer than either. abolishing the ministry of higher security forces battled the militants security command tasked with retak- along with Raqa in Syria is one of the Lieutenant General Sean MacFar- education, and fused several other in other areas. ing Nineveh province, of which Mosul two main hubs for their operations. land, the commander of the US-led state bodies into related ministries. “Units from the Iraqi army have is the capital. Iraqi forces recaptured The initial aim is to sever IS sup- operation against IS, has said that No time frame was given for the KIRKUK, IRAQ: The Iraqi army is begun arriving to a military base near Ramadi, the capital of Anbar prov- ply lines between Mosul and areas Iraqi generals do not think they will changes. deploying thousands of soldiers to the Makhmur district to start launch- ince, west of Baghdad, in December farther south including Hawijah in be able to recapture Mosul until Gulf Arab oil exporters have for a northern base in preparation for ing initial military operations towards in a major blow to the IS. Kirkuk province and areas near Baiji the end of 2016 or early 2017 at the years subsidised food, fuel, elec- operations to retake the Islamic State Mosul,” a staff brigadier general said But Mosul is expected to be the in Salaheddin, the army officer said. earliest. tricity and water, keeping prices (IS) group’s hub of Mosul, officials said on condition of anonymity. Makhmur most difficult battle of Iraq’s war Iraqi forces have worked slowly A Kurdish official said that most very low in an effort to maintain yesterday. lies around 70km southeast of Mosul. against IS due to its size, the pres- and deliberately to isolate other IS- of the soldiers deployed to Makhmur, social order, though the UAE econ- IS seized Mosul in June 2014 and “There are three brigades located ence of large numbers of civilians in held cities such as Tikrit and Ramadi which is located within territory con- omy is less reliant than some of its except for air strikes has held Iraq’s in that base now,” and their number the city, and the long period the mil- before launching assaults to retake trolled by Iraqi Kurdistan, are ethnic neighbours on oil revenues.