Doha: The eighth edition of the Al Dasha Marine Sports Festival, organized by the Doha Marine Sports Club, will kick off tomorrow, Tuesday, at Katara Beach, coinciding with the State's National Sport Day. The Festival, whose competitions will continue until next Saturday, serves as the official opening of the Doha Marine Sports Club's calendar for the 2026 season. The festival is held annually in conjunction with National Sport Day and features a rich lineup of activities and programs that cater to enthusiasts of all types of marine sports, both traditional and modern.
According to Qatar News Agency, the festival's first activities will begin tomorrow with the official opening ceremony at Katara Beach. The Doha Marine Sports Club chose National Sport Day as the launch date of the festival to encourage all marine sports participants to embark on a distinctive season filled with strong competition, starting from the opening festival and extending throughout the rest of the season.
Alongside the official opening tomorrow, the Marine Companies and Factories Exhibition will be inaugurated and held daily throughout the festival. Free public activities accompanying the festival will also be organized, including kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, sailing tours, and water wheel activities, running daily from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm.
The festival's official competitions will begin on the first day, starting with kayak fishing and swordfish fishing competitions. The same contests will be repeated the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, before the festival moves into its most competitive stage with various championship rounds on Friday and Saturday. These will feature the Qatar Traditional Rowing Championship, the Qatar Jet Ski and Freestyle Championship, and the Qatar Traditional Sailing Championship.
For his part, Public Relations Officer at the Doha Marine Sports Club Mohammed Al Mannai said that all requirements have been put in place to ensure the success of the new edition of the Al Dasha Festival, expressing satisfaction with all preparations and readiness, particularly with regards to organizational and logistical aspects.
Al Mannai said in a press statement that the Festival includes a wide range of marine sports, starting with jet skis, marathons, traditional rowing for adults and youth, modern sailing in all its categories, traditional sailing, and fishing, making it a diverse festival that fulfills the ambitions and interests of marine sports enthusiasts.
He added that the Doha Marine Sports Club is keen for the Festival to remain a fixed fixture on the club's annual calendar, alongside the season's multi-activity schedule, as it seeks to attract the largest possible number of participants of all ages to practice various modern and traditional marine sports.
In a related context, the annual Al Dasha Festival represents an ideal opportunity to bring together the entire marine sector under one event, creating economic, social, sporting, and maritime integration within a single championship. This is particularly evident given the participation of numerous marine companies, as well as factories specializing in marine equipment and boat manufacturing, making it the most comprehensive sporting gathering of its kind in the State of Qatar.