DOHA: The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) has launched its promotional activities of engaging schoolchildren ahead of the AFC U23 Championship. The high profile event will be held in Qatar from January 12 to 30 at four venues. 'Najim', the official event mascot, visited Pakistani, British, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan schools in Qatar. Large crowds gathered during the LOC visits to the schools which saw schoolchildren mingling with football officials and having their photos taken with 'Najim'. LOC officials said more schools are on the list in the coming days. The officials also distributed literature detailing the event schedule and venues. Besides Qatar, teams from Syria, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Japan, North Korea, Thailand, Iraq, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Jordan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam are also taking part in the event. The top three sides at the three-week tournament will qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games.