DOHA: Obesity among people especially in children is a major health concern almost in all parts of the world as seven years old Alain in Doha ahead of the FIFA World Cup is trying his best to lose weight in order to pursue his dream to become a professional player of football.
FIFA World Cup: I want to play football
Alain is participating in a broad drive to encourage health and fitness among the public in the country. He told the media that he came here to take part in the campaign to lose weight and become a professional footballer as this game (football) gives him pleasure and inspiration.
Why Physical Activity Like Football Important to Defeat Obesity?
Reports said that Qatar is also confronting the problem of obesity like other parts of the world. According to official figures of Oman, 66 percent of its citizens are facing the problem of obesity.
A study conducted in 2020 shows that Kuwait’s obesity among kids is around 35 to 40 %. United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s Health Ministry said that childhood obesity increased from 12% to 17.4% in just two years. Similarly, the U.S. Center for Disease said that 42% of American adults are considered as obese.
WHO Role in Promoting Physical Activity
World Health Organization (WHO) said that 6% to 8% school going children in Pakistan are confronted with the issue of obesity because of unhealthy diets and lifestyles. Studies suggest that unhealthy diets, lifestyles, and physical inactivity are the main causes of the issue of obesity around the world.
Experts said that physical activity is also vital for children to keep them healthy and fit and insisted that sports like football are very critical for the health of children worldwide.
FIFA World Cup in Qatar
Many children said that they will not only watch the football world cup in Qatar but will also play this game. A nine-year-old child said that there are many physical activities but he loves to play football. He said that he is very excited to watch the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
It may be recalled that the world’s top football players have arrived in Qatar to play the world cup in the gulf country. The football world cup tournament will start in Qatar on Sunday (tomorrow).
As per the details, Qatar along with the best teams have been divided into groups using a ranking system. FIFA has established six qualifying regions including Africa, Asia, Europe, North, and Central America, the Caribbean, Oceania, and South America to ensure entire representation.
FIFA World Cup Groups
Group A
- Ecuador
- Netherlands
- Qatar
- Senegal
Group B
- USA
- Iran
- Wales
- England
Group C
- Mexico
- Poland
- Saudi Arabia
- Argentina
Group D
- France
- Tunisia
- Australia
- Denmark
Group E
- Spain
- Germany
- Costa Rica
- Japan
Group F
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Canada
- Morocco
Group G
- Brazil
- Switzerland
- Cameroon
- Serbia
Group H
- Portugal
- Ghana
- South Korea
- Uruguay
FIFA World Cup and 1st Match in Qatar
WHO representative to Pakistan, Dr Palitha Mahipala said that annually 55 million deaths take place across the globe, of which 70 percent of deaths occur because of unhealthy lifestyles and diseases.
The WHO official said that cardiovascular disease caused 17.5 million deaths worldwide and the leading risk factor for this disease is also smoking, followed by physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet.
According to WHO, 38.9 million kids under 5 years of age had moderately or severely overweight. Physical activity and sports are also essential to enhance fitness levels and many kids said that they want to play football. The first match of the FIFA world cup will be played in the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor between Qatar and Ecuador.
The football stadium has a seating capacity of around 60,000 people. Reports said that 1.2 million fans from across the world would watch the tournament matches physically. The World Cup’s final will be played on December 18.
