ASPIRE, Qatar’s Academy for Sports Excellence, is extending its fitness program designed for toddlers and pre-school children, as part of its role in encouraging greater involvement in sport and exercise across Qatar.
The “First Steps to Fitness” exercise class has been a real success since its inception last year, attracting as many as 50 children per class. Its innovative approach is designed to instil a healthy attitude in youngsters from an early age by stimulating and nurturing their movement from their crawling stage through to running, climbing and jumping.
The weekly courses, designed to improve fitness levels throughout the country, encourage “mother and toddler” programs to help the children feel comfortable and lessen any separation anxiety they may experience by having their parent present.
ASPIRE’s expert staff are on hand to ensure the safety of the children. The courses involve individual and group activities which guarantee fun and healthy activities for everyone.
The range of classes is being extended next year to include specially designed fitness regimes for older children and a wider range of classes for women.
ASPIRE’s Mrs Gisela Hackfort, said: “This program was the first in the Middle East to promote a healthier lifestyle among such young children. The benefits of starting exercise programs at a young age are significant, with muscles being strengthened, along with the immune system, and fit healthy children having a better quality of life and longer life expectancy and all in a safe and fun environment.
“The classes have been extremely popular throughout the year and we look forward to continuing with the development of a healthier generation who will enjoy and reap the benefits of a healthier lifestyle throughout their lives.”
Specialized weekly children’s fitness classes are held at Al Markhiya Girls Primary School by ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence in association with Qatar Women Sports Committee. The “Women Only” classes are from Monday to Thursday 9.00 am in the ASPIRE Dome and Tuesdays at 5pm at Al Markhiya School.
About ASPIRE
ASPIRE, the Academy for Sports Excellence, Doha, was created with the dual aims of identifying and transforming promising student athletes into world renowned champions across a wide range of sports and to act as a beacon to draw sporting culture into the centre of life in Qatar and the surrounding region.
The Academy is distinguished by a philosophy which aims to develop the whole student, providing them with full academic, social and sporting development.
Unrivalled facilities mark the Academy out as one of the world’s foremost sporting and educational institutions, and entice an ever increasing number of visitors from across the spectrum of world sports to use or simply view them. These same facilities will also play host to events during the forthcoming Asian Games 2006.
With one indoor and seven outdoor football pitches, athletics tracks, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving pool, combat arenas, gymnastics arena, specially designed weight rooms, lecture halls, dormitories to accommodate what will eventually become 1,000 students, a medical centre and more besides, much beneath the world’s largest purpose built indoor sports dome, every aspect of the development of elite athletes is catered for. ASPIRE is a place for those who dare to dream.
ASPIRE TODAY, INSPIRE TOMORROW
www.aspire.qa
