Students, faculty and staff of the Medical College had the time of their lives as they joined efforts to make a success of the 15th Asian Games in Doha (December 1-15, 2006).

From volunteering for the Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee (DAGOC) to carrying the flame in the torch relay and participating in the Opening Ceremony, WCMC-Q community members were keen to offer their support.

Qatari medical student Jinan Al Shaarani (Class of 2009) said she was proud to see her home country take on the second largest sporting event in the world, only superseded by the Olympic Summer Games.

“This is a huge step forward for Qatar, not only in terms of hosting this world-class event, but also because we are racing into the future so optimistically,” she said.

Jinan joined classmate Manisha Deb Roy in the torch relay on its seven-day journey around Qatar, and attended the Opening Ceremony with a group of Qatari friends.

“I felt so proud running with the torch – to be part of an event I had looked forward to for years… And the Opening Ceremony was even better than I expected,” Jinan said.

Referring to the torch relay, Manisha added: “It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I got to meet H.E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani (the 15th Asian Games Torch Relay Ambassador and son of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar), which made my experience even more memorable.”

Seizing the moment
Among the volunteers involved at and around sporting events, was first-year medical student Nigel Pereira (Class of 2010). Showing the WCMC-Q commitment to being an active member of society, Nigel quickly accepted a position as a doping control chaperone.

“I knew that I would have a break from medical school during this period. The proposal of meeting world-famous athletes, watching wonderful sports, and most importantly, enjoying the true spirit of the games, allured me to the job,” he said.

“I got to interact with people from many different countries. I also had the opportunity to see sports that I’ve only heard about, like sepaktakraw.”

One of the youngest chaperones selected, Nigel joined a group of local community members who were chaperoning for the first time. Experienced individuals from Qatar and other countries in the GCC supervised.

“I worked anywhere between six and 10 hours a day. My role was to inform the athletes about their selection for a doping control test, and to escort them to the doping control station. We followed very strict international guidelines that if the athlete breached, could lead to a suspension.

“Some athletes didn’t speak English, so it was very difficult to get our message across. But the fact that I got to interact with so many different people, work in teams, and try to overcome possible language barriers, was similar to scenarios in medicine.

“Doping control is important to maintain fair-play at the Games. Dope-free sports help us to celebrate and appreciate what a person can do with hard training, commitment, and practice. It was great to be involved.”

Joining Nigel in this field was WCMC-Q librarian Jan Weaver. Jan was appointed a doping control officer after working as a chaperone at the West Asian Games and completing training earlier this year.

“I worked in wrestling, which is a high-risk sport as far as doping is concerned, so it was quite interesting,” she said.

Asked what the highlight of the experience was, Jan said: “I watched Thailand’s Pawina Thongsuk set a new world record in the 63kg weight lift clean and jerk of 142kg. It was amazing seeing every vein, every muscle in her body strain to make the grade.”

Rubbing shoulders with the athletes
Among other WCMC-Q Asian Games volunteers was librarian Karen Joc, and pre-medical students Eiman Nabi (Class of 2011), Pankit Vachhani and Hiba Sheikh (Class of 2012).

While Eiman worked at one of the major hotels helping guests find transport to their respective venues, Pankit worked at the Al Arabi Precinct issuing venue entry passes to volunteers and official personnel.

Hiba had the privilege of meeting Asian Games athletes and gazing up at the enormous crowd in Khalifa Stadium as she joined in the Opening Ceremony on December 1 as a placard bearer for the Palestinian delegation.

Senior lecturer in writing at WCMC-Q, Peter Fortunato, said the Opening Ceremony was of a different order than any he had seen on a scale of stadium theatrics before.

“The ceremony was, in a word, stupendous. Not only was the technological accomplishment and co-ordination of the thousands of performers of the highest possible quality – despite the rain that fell throughout the evening – but the content of the program was also beautiful, inspiring, and not to be forgotten,” he said.

Report by Krista Dobinson, Assistant Editor/Writer