Botswana claim men’s 4x400m gold; Qatar finish 5th

Tokyo: Botswana’s burning desire to win a global men’s 4x400m title could not be quenched either by a torrential downpour or a United States quartet set on maintaining its huge tradition in an event where gold has gone to the Stars and Stripes in nine of the past 10 editions.When US anchor leg runner Rai Benjamin, the 400m hurdles champion, carried a two-metre lead into the final straight it, seemed as if the USA – despite what looked like a catastrophic start to this competition in the previous day’s heats – were set for another visit to the top of the podium.Behind him, South Africa – winners at the World Athletics Relays – and Olympic silver medallists Botswana appeared to be contesting silver.And when Zakithi Nene, added to the team having finished fifth in the individual final, came on strong on the outside, it looked as if South Africa would win that contest and perhaps even put final pressure on Benjamin.But there was one final twist remaining on a track glistening with rain under the aptly named floodlights as the slight figure of Collen Kebinatshipi somehow floated through the middle of his two challengers, just as he had in winning the individual 400m title, to bring Botswana home to their longed-for gold in 2:57:76.Benjamin, who had no chance to react to this final surge, edged the United States to silver by two-thousandths of a second as they shared the same given time with South Africa of 2:57:83.No one would have been happier for the result than Botswana’s second-leg runner, Letsile Tebogo, who had helped them take Olympic silver in Paris after winning the individual 200m title but who had seen the other side of fortune in Tokyo after being disqualified for a false start in the 100m final and missing out on a 200m medal by one place, despite clocking 19.65.Tebogo had put Botswana back level with the United States after making up ground on Jacory Patterson on the second leg with a super-fast split of 44.05.Bayapo Ndori, the 400m bronze medallist and another of the Paris 2024 silver medallists, kept them in the hunt before handing over to the ethereal talent of Kebinatshipi – who delivered once again in stupendous fashion.Tebogo, delighted, was the one to instigate Botswana’s celebrations as the four young men in pale blue shirts high-stepped their way deliriously through sloshing puddles with the zest of Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain.A United States quartet entirely different from the one that contested the final had finished outside qualification after coming home sixth in their heat. But they were able to progress after beating Kenya in a run-off earlier in the day after it had been decided that they had both been impeded by the Zambian team who were subsequently disqualified.South Africa’s challenge had been kept alive by an inspired third-leg run from their 33-year-old 400m world record-holder Wayde Van Niekerk.Fourth place went to the consistently talented Belgian team, who clocked 2:59:48 ahead of Qatar in 3:01:64, with Great Britain taking sixth place in 3:03:05.Qatar wrapped up their campaign at the 2025 World Athletics Championships with a single medal, courtesy of Abderrahman Samba’s bronze in the men’s 400m hurdles, but the national 4x400m relay team narrowly missed out on the podium in the final.The quartet of Abderrahman Samba, Yahya Ibrahim, Bassem Hemeida, and Ismail Dawood had already made history by reaching the relay final for the very first time, clocking a national record of 3:00.15 in Saturday’s heats.But under pouring rain at the National Stadium, they couldn’t replicate that amid puddles of water, finishing a creditable fifth. 

Qatar’s Aya Mohamed wins singles crown in Arab Table Tennis Championship

Doha: Aya Mohamed etched her name in history by becoming the first Qatari woman to win the women’s singles title at the Arab Teams Table Tennis Championship in Casablanca, Morocco, on Sunday.The 31-year-old defeated Jordan’s Tima Abu Yemen 3-2 in a thrilling final at the Mohammed V Indoor Complex, clinching Qatar’s 20th medal and fourth gold of the tournament.Mohamed also secured silver in doubles with Maryam Ali and another silver in the team event alongside Ali and Serena Sheikh.A pioneer for Qatari table tennis, Mohamed competed at the London 2012 Olympics and earlier this year, alongside Mohamed Abdulwahab, broke into the ITTF world’s top 100 in mixed doubles for the first time in Qatar’s history.Following her victory, Mohamed expressed pride in her achievement: “I am honoured to be the first Qatari to win this title. This moment will stay in my memory forever. The final was tough, but with focus and determination, I was able to deliver this gold medal for Qatar.”Head of the Qatari delegation, Khalid Ali Al Kuwari, hailed Mohamed as a “champion of gold,” calling the triumph a reward for years of dedication and sacrifice, and credited Federation President Khalil bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi for his unwavering support. 

Qatar to meet South Korea in Asian U17 Handball Semi-Finals

Amman: Qatar’s under-17 men’s handball team will take on South Korea tomorrow (Tuesday) in the semi-finals of the inaugural Asian Men’s U17 Handball Championship, currently being held in Amman, Jordan, from September 15 to 25. The competition doubles as a qualifier for the first-ever IHF U17 World Championship, set for Morocco later this year.Qatar heads into the semi-final aiming to secure a spot in the final and strengthen their bid for the continental title, while also targeting qualification for the global tournament.The young Qatari squad booked their place in the last four by finishing second in Group B of the main round with four points. They claimed important wins against Jordan (32–25) and Kuwait (26–22), but fell to Iran (25–46) in their final match.Earlier, Qatar had topped their group in the preliminary stage with back-to-back victories, defeating China 38–24 and Saudi Arabia 27–23.The other semi-final will feature Iran against Bahrain, setting up two highly anticipated clashes.In total, 13 national teams are competing in this first edition of the Asian Men’s U17 Championship. The finalists will qualify to represent Asia at the inaugural IHF Men’s U17 World Championship, scheduled to take place in Morocco from October 24 to November 1, 2025. 

QOC hosts Cybersecurity Workshop

Doha: As part of its strategic plans to raise awareness of information security and strengthen digital protection culture among its staff, the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) organized, a training workshop titled “Cybersecurity for Leaders: Data Protection and Compliance with International Standards” today in collaboration with OISSG Consultancy.  Held at the QOC Headquarters, the workshop brought together 43 heads of sections and units.The workshop was led by information security consultant, engineer Mahmoud Al-Dabbagh, who addressed key issues related to cybersecurity in workplace environments. Training topics included email security and fraud prevention, physical security and institutional policies, mobile device security and best practices, safe internet browsing and fraud prevention techniques, as well as data privacy protection and the safe use of AI applications.The session witnessed strong engagement from participants, who discussed daily challenges faced by leaders in information security. Real-life cases of cyber fraud were presented, along with interactive pre- and post-training assessments that reflected the level of benefit and increased awareness.On this occasion, Mr. Hamad Mohammed Al-Shawi, Assistant Director of the QOC’s Information Systems Department, highlighted that this initiative contributes to enhancing the competencies of administrative leaders and equipping them with practical knowledge to ensure the safe use of computers and smart devices, thereby strengthening information security in daily work environments.He added that the QOC is committed to implementing specialized training programs for different staff categories, in line with technological advancements and in support of digital protection culture and compliance with international standards, ensuring a secure and advanced workplace that fulfills its strategic objectives.This workshop is part of a series of awareness and training initiatives launched by the Qatar Olympic Committee to empower its employees to face rising cyber threats and ensure the organization’s readiness to maintain the highest levels of security and data protection.

Qatar Wrestlers Shine in Zagreb with Consecutive Victories at World Championships

Zagreb – Qatar’s wrestlers continued their strong run at the 2025 Wrestling World Championships, as Aref Mohamedi delivered a brilliant performance to secure a 3-1 victory over India’s Sunny Kumar in the 63kg weight class, earning Team Qatar another valuable win in the Croatian capital.Mohamedi will now raise the challenge even higher when he faces Moldova’s representative Vitalie Eriomenco in the same division in the quarterfinals. This marks Qatar’s second triumph of the tournament, after Shaheen Mohammed opened the winning campaign last Thursday with a thrilling 6-4 victory over American opponent Millashvili in the 82kg category.The Championships bring together more than 900 wrestlers from 65 nations, with competitions running until September 22 in an atmosphere full of excitement and intensity. Team Qatar aim to write another chapter in the nation’s sporting success.Qatar’s delegation features a strong lineup led by Shaheen Mohammed (82kg), Aref Mohamedi (63kg), Saud Al-Mufqahi (77kg), and Rafeeq Al-Natsha (72kg), under the guidance of experienced Iranian head coach Malek Ali and Armenian assistant Kazarian. The team competes with ambition and determination to reach the podium. 

Qatar 4x400m Squad Books Place in World Championships Final

Tokyo - Qatar national team advanced to the final of the 4x400m relay for the first time in its history after finishing second in the heats held today, Saturday, at the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.The Qatari quartet - Abderrahman Samba, Yahya Ibrahim, Bassem Hemeida, and Ismail Dawood - clocked a time of 3:00.15 minutes to take second place behind South Africa, which topped the group with a time of 2:58.81 minutes.Also qualifying from the same group was the Netherlands, which posted its season's best of 3:00.23 minutes. In a surprising result, the US team failed to advance after finishing sixth.Qatar's Abderrahman Samba expressed his delight at contributing to the team's qualification for the final.He said the team ran as one unit and succeeded in achieving the target of reaching the final.He added that this was the first participation in the World Championships in the 4x400m relay, so ensuring qualification was a priority. The race plan focused on conserving energy as much as possible in order to deliver the strongest performance in the final.Samba pointed out that the final would be highly competitive but stressed that Qatar team is determined to fight for a medal and a place on the podium despite the tough field.Samba won the bronze medal yesterday in the 400m hurdles at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo 2025.