Students from all levels of The Gulf English School (GES) – from five years to 18-years – got into the spirit of Schools Olympic Program (SOP) with a month-long series of competitions to pit their sporting prowess against their peers. The Qatar Olympic Committee in partnership with Supreme Education Council hosts the SOP. This year, GES will compete in football, basketball, swimming, athletics, fencing, shooting, taekwondo, gymnastics, tennis and table tennis. Pupils belonging to Primary, Preparatory and Secondary Levels will participate and seek to build on last year’s successes.
Cheered on by parents and friends, GES started with Level 1 and Level 2 Boys’ Basketball at Al Gharaffa Sports Club, where they competed in both 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 tournaments. The Level 1’s got off to a shaky start in the 5-on-5 games, which was understandable given that they were the youngest of GES’ competitors in a newly formed squad. They drew a couple of games, lost a couple and eventually won one. This learning curve left them better prepared for the 3-on-3 games, where they lost one and won two. To support their development, GES has taken on board Coach Ehab from Qatar Sports Club, who will be working with these boys to develop their skills and tactical awareness.
The Level 2 Boys’ Basketball Teams also competed on the same day, where the ‘A’ Team was unbeatable. They were organized, focused, disciplined and skillful. More importantly, they had ‘heart’. On a day where the schedule and format of the event seemed to change by the minute, these boys remained composed and won every single game. It was unquestionable that we had the strongest team in our group and they proved it over and over. Level 1 MVP was Mohammed Al Subaey and Level 2 MVP was Al Bu Hindi.
Girls’ Football and Basketball
Senior school girls showed great sportsmanship and comradeship during the football match, where they beat their rival team 4-0, putting GES on the top of the board. Noora Al Thani scored 75% of the goals, notwithstanding some great performances by the entire team.
Next on the schedule was the Primary Girls’ Basketball competition. After winning their first game 12-0, they were unstoppable. They ended their first tournament with a 36-2 win and so breezed through to the next round. Tochi Omah was the top scorer.
