Team Qatar Shooters Intensify Preparations for Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and Doha World Championship

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June 11, 2026
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11-June-2026

Team Qatar Shooters Intensify Preparations for Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and Doha World Championship

Doha:Team Qatar shooters are continuing their intensive preparations for a series of major continental and international competitions, most notably the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Japan from September 19 to October 4, and the ISSF World Shooting Championship Doha 2026, which will be hosted in Doha from November 1 to 14 and will serve as a key qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Ahmed Khalid Al Darwish, Deputy Chairman of the National Teams Committee at the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association, said that the national team began its preparations for the Asian Games at the start of the current season through intensive daily training sessions at the Lusail Shooting Range, combined with participation in Gulf, Arab, continental and international competitions aimed at enhancing technical and physical readiness.

Al Darwish noted that the most recent stage of preparation came during the 4th GCC Games Doha 2026, where Qatar’s shooters delivered an outstanding performance, winning 26 medals, including 12 gold, six silver and eight bronze, to finish as the top-performing Arab team in the competition. He praised the continued support provided to Qatari shooting by the country’s sports leadership.

He revealed that the men’s and women’s shotgun squads competing in trap and skeet are currently attending a training camp in Italy, where they are also taking part in one of the strongest and most competitive shotgun championships in the world. Following the camp, the team will continue its intensive preparation programme with the support of international coaches and a specialist sports psychologist to further develop both technical and mental readiness ahead of major events.

Al Darwish emphasized that the success achieved by Qatari shooting in recent years is the result of continuous support and close supervision from the association’s leadership, alongside the efforts of the technical and administrative staff. He added that the national team’s calendar includes further participation in a shotgun world championship in China and the Arab Championship in Oman as part of its build-up to future competitions.

The Qatari shooting delegation for the Asian Games will comprise 12 athletes, including three men and three women in trap and an equal number in skeet. Al Darwish expressed confidence in the ability of the shooters to deliver strong performances and challenge for top positions.

At the youth level, he highlighted the emergence of several promising talents, with a number of young shooters currently competing at the World Junior Championship in Germany. He explained that these athletes were identified through successful domestic events such as the Nishan Ramadan Tournament and Al Sajmah Tournament and are viewed as part of Qatar’s long-term project for the Doha 2030 Asian Games.

Looking ahead to the World Championship in Doha, Al Darwish described the event as one of the most important competitions on the international shooting calendar due to the allocation of Olympic qualification quotas across shotgun, rifle and pistol disciplines. He stressed that Qatar aims to take advantage of competing on home soil to secure as many qualification places as possible for Los Angeles 2028 before turning its focus to Olympic medal ambitions.

He also noted that Olympic bronze medallist Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah is currently training with the national team in Italy, reflecting the association’s commitment to benefiting from his vast experience. Al Darwish concluded by praising the achievements of leading Qatari shooters, including Rashed Al Athba, Mohammed Al Rumaihi, Saeed Abu Sharab and Reem Al Sharshani, expressing his hope that they will continue to achieve success on the continental and global stages.