Manama: Qatar’s girls’ volleyball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain after defeating the host nation 3–0 on Tuesday.

The Qatari team delivered a commanding performance, winning in straight sets (25–8, 25–6, 25–13), finishing second in Group A behind Iran to secure a place among the last eight teams.

In the men’s competition, Team Qatar lost 0–3 to Iran in its second match, with set scores of (12–25, 8–25, 13–25). Earlier, Qatar had also lost its opener to China 1–3, ending its chances of progressing to the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, in the beach volleyball competition, Qatar’s duo Ahmed Ziad and Moussa Al Khair suffered two defeats — losing 0–2 to Thailand (13–21, 10–21) and 1–2 to Sri Lanka (18–21, 21–8, 12–15). The pair had opened their campaign with a 2–1 victory over the Maldives.

Twelve teams are competing in beach volleyball, divided into two groups. Group A includes Iran, China, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Mongolia, while Group B features Qatar, Bahrain, Thailand, Indonesia, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. The top four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals.

In the women’s beach volleyball event, Qatar’s duo Celine Mahmoud and Siwar Al Asal lost 0–2 to Malaysia in Group A, which also includes China, Kazakhstan, and Sri Lanka.

Elsewhere, Qatar’s delegations in athletics, 3x3 basketball, equestrian, taekwondo, boxing, and triathlon arrived in Bahrain today to join the competition.

The 3rd Asian Youth Games feature 26 sports, with more than 5,000 athletes from 45 Asian National Olympic Committees, making it the largest edition in the event’s history. The Games also serve as qualifiers for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

Qatar is represented by 67 male and female athletes competing in 16 sports, including athletics, badminton, basketball (3x3), equestrian (show jumping), golf, judo, jiu-jitsu, cycling, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, wrestling, volleyball, beach volleyball, and boxing. Female athletes are participating in four sports — athletics, badminton, volleyball, and beach volleyball.

Team Qatar aims to make a strong impression at the Games and compete for medals across several sports. This participation is also part of the nation’s long-term preparation for the Doha 2030 Asian Games.

Qatar previously won two silver medals in athletics at the inaugural Singapore 2009 Asian Youth Games and three medals (one gold, two silver) at the Nanjing 2013 edition, including gold in handball and two silvers in shooting.