DOHA: Qatar Shell and Qatar Football Association (QFA) have wrapped up the seventh season of Koora Time with an awards ceremony that celebrated participants’ achievements and honoured the various stakeholders who contributed to the initiative’s success. The efforts of 36 outstanding participants and six coaches were recognized during a ceremony held on Saturday, 30 March 2019, at Aspire Dome. The awards were presented by QFA General Secretary, Mansoor Al-Ansari, and the Managing Director and Chairman of Qatar Shell, Mr. Andrew Faulkner. By celebrating their successes and achievements, Qatar Shell and QFA hope to encourage participants to remain committed to sports and a healthy lifestyle, which represents the initiative’s ultimate goal. Al-Ansari highlighted the importance of QFA’s collaboration with Qatar Shell and its significant contribution in raising awareness on the positive impact of sports in ensuring a healthy lifestyle. “Our collaborative efforts have played a key role in advancing our shared objectives and accomplishing a great deal in a relatively short period,” Al-Ansari said on Saturday. Commenting on the event, which is being held for the first time, Mr. Faulkner said on Saturday: “This year’s awards ceremony aims to celebrate over seven years of vibrant success since the launch of the initiative in 2012.” “The record number of participants with an increased number of female participants, the addition of new venues, and the reported improvement in participants’ health indicators demonstrate that Koora Time is having a tangible impact and meeting its objectives,” he added. Koora Time, created and designed by the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and Qatar Shell to improve the health and wellbeing of young people in Qatar through football, facilitates access to additional hours of physical activity and offers youth the opportunity to play football in a fun and non-competitive environment. The latest edition attracted a weekly average of 3,500 participants who had access to 30 venues for football and sports-related activities, including Mesaieed, Dukhan and Al Shamal, compared to eight venues when Koora Time launched in 2012. The initiative ran weekly from October 2018 until March 2019, with major events taking place on Qatar National Day and National Sport Day. The initiative’s undisputed success was evident in numbers, with a significant number of Koora Time participants having improved their Body Mass Index (BMI). The latest season further contributed to empowering women in Qatar, with girls accounting for half of participant