On 14 March 1979, the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) was established. Over these nearly five decades, the QOC has become a fundamental tool for the development of sport in Qatar.

Last Tuesday, a ceremony was held at the Fairmont Hotel to honour the athletes, in the presence of QOC President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and various authorities. The recent results of the young athletes who represented Qatar at the first Gulf Youth Games organised by the United Arab Emirates were also highlighted.

A film about the history and achievements of the Qatar Olympic Committee over the years was shown during the event. QOC Secretary General Jassim bin Rashid al-Bueinain spoke about the development and growth of sport in Qatar. "There has been a qualitative leap in Qatari sport, made possible by the distinguished leadership that has served as presidents of the QOC, along with the sincere efforts of all staff," he added, as reported by Doha News.

Al-Bueinain said, "Through the organisation of major events and tournaments in various sports, QOC's efforts have also contributed to strengthening Qatar's sporting position on the world stage."

Doha has hosted major international events, the most recent being the World Swimming Championships - Doha 2024, which took place in February. This was a significant step forward in establishing Qatar as a reliable organiser of major events.

The achievements over the years were reviewed, with particular emphasis on the first Olympic medal, which was won by Mohamed Suleiman in the 1,500 metres at Barcelona '92. This was the first medal for an athlete from the Gulf region.

The second medal came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Asaad Saeed Saif won Qatar's bronze medal in the 105kg weightlifting competition. Mutaz Barshim won silver in the high jump at Rio 2016, and Barshim and weightlifter Fares Ibrahim won gold at Tokyo 2020.

However, Qatar has really specialised in organising events. During the ceremony, some of the competitions held in Qatar were reviewed. Organising the 2022 FIFA World Cup stood out. 

Nearly 3 million tickets were sold for the competition, which brought together the best teams in the world to compete in the most prestigious tournament. It was the World Cup that pitted Lionel Messi against Kylian Mbappé in the Argentina-France final. Qatar was the first Arab country to host the World Cup. It also hosted the 15st Asian Games 18 years ago in 2006.