(MENAFN- Gulf Times) ExxonMobil Qatar and the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) have launched a series of promotional activities ahead of the 2019 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, which will take place at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from December 31, 2018, to January 5, 2019.
A ribbon cutting ceremony at Doha Festival City marked the launch of the promotional activities, in the presence of Saleh al-Mana, vice-president and director of Government and Public Affairs for ExxonMobil Qatar; Tareq Zeinal, General Co-ordinator of Qatar ExxonMobil Open, and Karim Alami, Tournament Director.
At the centre of this year's activities is an exciting and creative environmental awareness campaign, which ExxonMobil Qatar launched on November 27, 2018 to run through January 5, the last day of the tournament. The campaign revolves around a dugong mascot called Morjan and his family Toola and Marah, as it aims to help raise awareness of the dugong population that lives in Qatar's waters.
Morjan, Toola and Marah's names were chosen by students through a competition that took place at government schools in October. The winning students were present at the launch ceremony.
'We're pleased to announce the start of promotional activities for the 2019 Qatar ExxonMobil Open together with our partner the Qatar Tennis Federation, said Alistair Routledge, President and General Manager for ExxonMobil Qatar. 'Today's event will help get the word out that this outstanding annual sporting event is coming to Doha very soon. I'm also pleased to announce that we are raising awareness of a local environmental conversation issue in this year's tournament activities.
Zainal said, 'We are proud of our tremendous association with ExxonMobil in promoting tennis in Qatar. The 27th Edition of the event is coming up in three weeks from now and we hope tennis fans will enjoy another spectacular tennis experience with us.
Alami added: 'Qatar ExxonMobil Open is one of the signature events in Qatar's sporting calendar. we are once again reiterating our commitment to promoting tennis as much as possible as well as creating a fun-filled atmosphere ahead of the tournament. We are proud of what we've been able to do together with Qatar ExxonMobil and I believe this year's tournament will be bigger and greater.
Talking about dugongs, Dr Mohamad al-Sulaiti, Research Director, ExxonMobil Research Qatar, said, 'It's wonderful that this year's promotional activities highlight a local conservation issue the protection of dugongs. This is an important issue for us in Qatar, but unfortunately many people who live here don't know much about this fascinating marine mammal or how it is under threat.
'Dugongs play a vital role in ocean ecosystems - they cycle nutrients within the ecosystems in which they forage. It is critical that we protect their key habitats and manage key threats. But to do so, we need to engage communities, foster stewardship and improve knowledge, and this year's campaign is going to be a great help in accomplishing this.
As part of its environmental awareness campaign, ExxonMobil Qatar is inviting social media users on Instagram and Twitter to visit stands located in Doha Festival City, Villagio Mall and Souq Waqif, and take a photo with Morjan. They can then participate in a competition by posting their photos with the hashtag #Dugongs_matter for a chance to win valuable prizes and also learn more about dugongs, which are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
ExxonMobil Qatar has planned two other competitions for their social media followers on Twitter and Instagram to help educate the general public about Qatar's dugong.
The 2019 Qatar ExxonMobil Open will bring together some of the world's top players to compete for the trophy and a share of the prize money. Confirmed tournament participants include Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, and David Goffin.
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