(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Amna Pervaiz Rao | The Peninsula
DOHA: Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) organiseda series of workshops to prepare Qatari team for participation in ‘The second Aspire International Kite Festival', scheduled to take place from March 6 to 9 at Aspire Park.
A Qatari team will be competing against the best kite flyers coming from several countries at the second edition of Aspire International Kite Festival. This year will mark Qatar's first participation in the competitions.
The workshops were delivered by Gadis Widiyati Riyadi, the Secretary of the International ASEAN Kite Council, a renowned Singaporean trainer on Friday and yesterday in the Ladies Club at Aspire Zone.
Talking to The Peninsula, Riyadi said: 'The response I am getting from the participants is very positive. They are ready to learn everything, starting from the basics to advance level and practice. We have made a friendly-bond with each other which makes it easier to teach them well.
'They learned how to make two types of kites, standard (diamond) and star-shaped which are a bit complicated to make. We go outdoor and practice flying because flying a kite comes with proper practice.
'I am trying to make sure that we get along with all sorts of weather conditions. Mostly when it gets windy it becomes difficult for the person to handle the kite. We hope this year there are special arrangements if the weather is not suitable for the kite flyers, she added.
The specially designed workshops were organised to provide inspiration and ideas for how to build and decorate a kite, as well as tips and tricks for flying them and easy to follow explanations of kite aerodynamics.
Competing teams this year will be flying kites of various sizes, colours, and designs for four days at Aspire Park, which is expected to attract a large number of residents and visitors. It is learnt that 10 of the 13 teams who participated last year will return in Doha this year to compete again in the event.
'The first edition of Aspire International Kite Festival was successfully held in 2017. We decided to make it happen yearly and now we are coming up with the second edition. This year we are trying to extend the competition by increasing the number of national teams and school participation. The schools which will be participating will be given prize money this year; first place will be given QR15,000, second place will be given QR13,000 and third will be given QR10,000, Sumaya Al Ghassabi, an official from the organising committee said.
'In the run-up to this year's inter-schools competitions, we organised a three-day workshop series for 60 teachers from 15 schools last November. The specially designed workshops were organised to provide inspiration and ideas for how to build and decorate a kite, as well as tips and tricks for flying them and easy to follow explanations of kite aerodynamics. We would like to thank the Italian committee for the kites, they are joining for the first time in Qatar and will be a part of the jury as well, Al Ghassabi added.
The festival, organised by Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF), will also feature inter-school competitions for students in grades 1 to 6. AZF said the champion team will get QR50,000 in cash while the second-place winner will take home QR30,000. QR10,000 will be given to the third-place winner.
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