Doha: The 45th Arab Golf Championship for men and women got under way at Doha Golf Club on Friday, with 72 players from 14 countries set to compete for individual and team honours. Hosted by the Qatar Golf Association, the competitions begin on Saturday and continue until Tuesday.

The opening ceremony featured a parade of the participating teams and was attended by Adel al-Fayyad, Vice President of the Arab Golf Federation, Hamad Abdullah al-Mana, President of the Qatar Golf Association, and Fahad al-Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Qatar Golf Association, along with officials and heads of the participating delegations.

The tournament is being held in Qatar for the first time, marking another important occasion for the country’s growing golf programme. Al-Nuaimi welcomed the participating teams and said Qatar was proud to host the prestigious championship.

He also highlighted the long history of the event, which was first held in Lebanon in 1975 and has since provided a platform for leading Arab golfers to compete against one another and develop their standards.

Al-Fayyad described the championship as one of the region’s leading golf events, bringing together some of the best Arab players while helping strengthen sporting ties between the participating countries. He also praised Qatar’s facilities and organisational capabilities, saying they provided a strong setting for the championship.

The men’s field consists of 51 players representing 14 countries, while 21 players from nine countries will compete in the women’s event. The Qatar team has completed its preparations at Doha Golf Club and will be looking to make a strong showing on home soil in both the individual and team competitions.