{"id":30004,"date":"2026-05-03T12:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T12:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/30004\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T12:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T12:40:13","slug":"qatar-launches-2026-year-of-culture-with-canada-and-mexico-through-winter-sports-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/30004\/","title":{"rendered":"Qatar launches 2026 Year of Culture with Canada and Mexico through winter sports push"},"content":{"rendered":"

It might feel like Canada, but it is Qatar.<\/p>\n

Inside Doha’s Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, curling stones glide across the ice, children and adults alike wobble through their first skating steps and amateur players battle it out in a friendly ice hockey match.<\/p>\n

The scene marked the launch of the Qatar Canada and Mexico 2026 Year of Culture, with sport taking centre stage.<\/p>\n

The Winter Sports Development Programme is the first major public event of the year-long initiative, designed to bring people together through shared experiences, even in unlikely settings.<\/p>\n

\"Participant<\/p>\n

Participant learns to curl during launch of 2026 Winter Sports Development Programme in Doha. – Years of Culture <\/p>\n

Why it matters now<\/p>\n

The launch comes at a moment organisers say gives it added weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve had a rough couple of weeks, turbulent times,\u201d said Karim Morcos, Canada\u2019s ambassador to Qatar. \u201cCulture and sports is what brings humanity together. We bring down the barriers and we show what it’s like to be human.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Morcos, the partnership is also a chance to showcase Canada\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cCanada is a very diverse place\u2026 sport and culture are ways to integrate,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat I want Qataris to see is the beauty of that, the diversity of Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building something new on the ice<\/p>\n

For many in attendance, this was their first encounter with winter sports.<\/p>\n

Families tried curling, short track speed skating and ice hockey, as Qatar looks to build participation in disciplines that are still relatively new to the country.<\/p>\n

For Besan Elwadia, that growth has been deeply personal.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the age of 16, I started figure skating and then joined the first national women’s ice hockey team in Qatar,\u201d she said. \u201cI helped recruit players and we slowly became a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Besan<\/p>\n

Besan Elwadia playing hockey in Doha. – Besan Elwadia <\/p>\n

Now an assistant coach in the Learn to Play Hockey programme, she is helping introduce the sport to the next generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were able to build this community in Qatar, parents from different countries coming together through one sport,\u201d she said. \u201cWe’ve grown to over 60 kids in the programme.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a country known for its heat, the appeal is simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you just need a cool place and a sport to play indoors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond sport: deeper ties<\/p>\n

While the focus is on sport, the initiative reflects broader cooperation between Qatar and its partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a new day, a new page in our relationship,\u201d Morcos said, pointing to recent agreements between Canada and Qatar, including a 10-year plan to deepen ties across political, security and economic sectors.<\/p>\n

That collaboration is already extending into major global events.<\/p>\n

\u201cQatar had a very successful experience, so we’re looking to them for lessons,\u201d he said, referring to preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Canada will co-host.<\/p>\n

\"Curling<\/p>\n

Curling training at the launch of the 2026 Winter Sports Development Programme in Doha. – Years of Culture <\/p>\n

Mexico, the third partner in this year\u2019s programme, sees the Year of Culture as a way to strengthen those connections even further.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re three friendly countries\u2026 fostering friendship, cooperation and collaboration,\u201d said Guillermo Ordorica, Mexico\u2019s ambassador to Qatar.<\/p>\n

He added that Qatar is already familiar to many in Mexico following the 2022 World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cQatar became very famous in my country\u2026 we are certain we will reinforce that very positive view of Qatar as a country with which we share many values.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year-long programme<\/p>\n

The Year of Culture initiative pairs Qatar with partner countries each year, expanding beyond traditional arts into sport, education and community programmes.<\/p>\n

The Winter Sports Development Programme will run throughout 2026, with monthly events aimed at building grassroots participation and creating pathways to competition.<\/p>\n

If the launch is anything to go by, winter sports may be finding a home in Qatar.<\/p>\n

Even in the desert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It might feel like Canada, but it is Qatar. Inside Doha’s Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, curling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,13872,388,541,13871],"class_list":{"0":"post-30004","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-canada","9":"tag-karim-morcos","10":"tag-mexico","11":"tag-qatar","12":"tag-winter-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}