Team Qatar Archers claim four medals at West Asian Championship in Doha

Doha – Team Qatar’s archers captured four medals – including two golds and two silvers – on the final day of the 2nd West Asian Archery Championship, which concluded yesterday at the Lusail Shooting Range Complex. The four-day event brought together around 100 male and female archers representing nine countries.The championship featured competitions in Olympic recurve and compound bow categories, across individual, team, and mixed team events.The final day was attended by Jassim Al-Sulaiti, Vice President of the Championship’s Organizing Committee, Dr. Saeed Musbah Al-Kaabi, Vice President of the West Asian Archery Federation, Thomas Han, Vice President of the World Archery Federation, Saad Al-Mashhadani, Secretary-General of the Arab Archery Federation, and Abdulrahman Al-Shadoukhi, Secretary-General of the West Asian Federation.In the women’s individual compound event, Qatar’s Aisha Al-Saai won the gold medal, while the UAE’s Amina Al-Owaidi claimed silver and Syria’s Yolanda Galoul took bronze.In the men’s individual compound, Saudi Arabia’s Ali Al-Baqmi secured gold, Kuwait’s Abdullah Malallah earned silver, and Saudi’s Bilal Al-Owaidi won bronze.In the women’s individual Olympic recurve, Qatar’s Maha Abdulhai took gold, Kuwait’s Suad Al-Bahar earned silver, and Saudi Arabia’s Aya Filimban claimed bronze.In the men’s individual recurve, Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman Musa won gold, Mansour Alawi of Saudi Arabia took silver, and Qatar’s Ahmed Al-Sada secured bronze.In the women’s compound team event, the UAE team (Amina Al-Owaidi, Mitha Al-Nuaimi, and Jumana Al-Najjar) captured gold, while the Saudi team (Nouf Al-Malik, Shahrazad Loukanish, and Raghad Kaabi) earned silver.In the men’s compound team event, Saudi Arabia (Abdullah Al-Abdullatif, Bilal Al-Owaidi, and Ali Al-Baqmi) won gold, Iraq (Abdullah Al-Shaibani, Shakir Khalaf, and Waleed Hamid) took silver, and the UAE (Yousef Al-Hosani, Shehab Al-Saadi, and Mohammed bin Amr) claimed bronze.In the compound mixed team event, Saudi Arabia (Raghad Kaabi and Ali Al-Baqmi) earned gold, the UAE (Amina Al-Owaidi and Mohammed bin Amr) took silver, and Kuwait (Hanan Al-Mayas and Abdullah Malallah) secured bronze.In the women’s Olympic recurve team event, Saudi Arabia (Shaden Al-Marshoud, Leena Al-Munjam, and Aya Filimban) captured gold, Kuwait (Noor Al-Sharhan, Reem Al-Naqeeb, and Suad Al-Bahar) took silver, and the UAE (Aisha Jassim Al-Ali, Fatima Al-Baloushi, and Samia Odenaeva) won bronze.In the men’s Olympic recurve team event, the UAE (Maiteeb Seb Sankar, Ali Ranjbari, and Mansour Obeid) claimed gold, while Saudi Arabia (Abdulaziz Al-Kurbi, Abdulrahman Musa, and Mansour Alawi) earned silver.Finally, in the mixed team recurve event, the UAE (Maiteeb Seb Sankar and Samia Odenaeva) won gold, Saudi Arabia (Aya Filimban and Abdulrahman Musa) took silver, and Qatar (Maha Abdulhai and Ahmed Al-Sada) secured bronze.Team Qatar’s lineup featured 12 archers: Ahmed Al-Sada, Suleiman Bu Taima, Maha Abdulhai, Reem Al-Saai, Sharifa Al-Obaidly, Amina Al-Jarman, Farhan Abdurrahbah, Abdulaziz Al-Abadi, Hamad Al-Yafie, Omar Laram, Munira Al-Adsani, and Aisha Al-Saai. 

Italy edge Qatar 1-0 in hard-fought FIFA U-17 World Cup opener

Doha: Qatar’s passionate fans created a raucous atmosphere at Mansour Muftah Pitch at Aspire, urging their team forward from start to finish, but Italy held firm to claim a hard-fought 1-0 victory in their opening match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025.A fine first-half strike from Samuele Inacio — who finished coolly after a precise through ball from Benit Borasio — proved decisive for the Azzurrini.The young Maroons battled bravely to level the score, showing greater attacking intent after the break. Omar al-Marzouki came close with a powerful shot that was cleared off the line in the 50th minute, while Issa Walid narrowly missed an equaliser with a late effort in the 87th. Despite Qatar’s spirited second-half display, Italy’s disciplined defence ensured all three points stayed with the European side.Qatar's next match is against South Africa on Thursday, while their last group tie is against Bolivia on Sunday.In another Group A match, South Africa beat Bolivia 3-1. Goals from Emile Witbooi, Neo Bohloko and Shaun Els earned 10-player South Africa a superb win. Bafana Bafana were dealt a significant blow when Sive Pama was sent off midway through the first half, but Witbooi soon fired them in front before Bohloko added a second from close range. Bolivia pulled one back through Jesus Maraude's Panenka-style penalty, but Shaun Els’ late breakaway effort put the result beyond doubt.Meanwhile, Japan and Tunisia collected impressive wins while both Argentina and Portugal rallied for hard-fought victories.In Group B, Japan opened a sixth straight U-17 World Cup with 2-0 victory over Morocco. The Asian giants looked to have opened the scoring in the first half when Anthony Motosuna headed home, but he was adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper Chouaib Bellaarouch.They wouldn't be denied for long, though, as Hiroto Asada drove through the heart of the Morocco backline and set up Taiga Seguchi, who unleashed a terrific first-time effort into the far corner. Minato Yoshida thought he'd netted a second soon after, only for play to be pulled back for handball. They would eventually make the game safe in the dying embers, with Daigo Hirashima rifling in from just inside the box.Portugal overcame a sluggish start to thrash New Caledonia 6-1. New Caledonia jumped out to a shock lead when a video review led to a penalty, and Ezekiel Wamowe converted the spot-kick. But Anisio Cabral spearheaded the comeback, equalising via a header and then giving his side the lead early in the second half with an easy finish. Stevan Manuel, Mateus Mide, Mauro Furtado and Jose Neto tacked on goals as well to complete the scoring.In Group C, ten-player Costa Rica claimed a hard-fought 1-1 draw against United Arab Emirates. The game sparked into life just after the half-hour, as Isaac Badilla was sent off for a last-player tackle on Faysal Mohammed.UAE made use of their numerical advantage shortly after the break, as Mayed Adel bundled home a corner. That lead lasted barely three minutes, though, with Yerlan Sosa's centre causing chaos in the UAE box, allowing Nick Bennette to lace home from just beyond the penalty spot.In another Group C match, Senegal and Croatia played out a goalless draw. The Europeans dominated the first half and ought to have taken the lead deep into it. Patrik Horvat saw his shot from the edge of the area parried by Vincent Gomis straight to Jona Benkotic, who cleared the crossbar with the goal gaping. Both pushed in the second period, but neither side could find the breakthrough.In Group D, Argentina squeezed past Belgium 3-2 in an early contender for match of the tournament. Diego Placente's men hit the front through a neat Ramiro Tulian finish, only for Arthur De Kimpe to strike back with a rasping drive.A well-worked Stan Naert goal then gave the Belgians the lead on the hour mark, as Ali Camara squared for the forward to tap in. The game was turned on its head inside four crazy minutes, though, with Facundo Jainikoski netting before fellow substitute Felipe Esquivel drilled in another fine goal. Belgium sub Rene Mitongo then passed up two great chances to level, allowing the South Americans to collect all three points.Tunisia delivered a commanding performance to cruise past Fiji 6-0. The North Africans hit their stride beginning at the half-hour mark, with Wassim Slama beating the goalkeeper at the near post with a clever shot and then a superb strike from Fedi Tayechi.Slama got his second by pouncing on a rebound, followed by a powerful right-footed finish from Anisse Saidi. Saifedin Haj Abdallah made it five with a composed curler from inside the area and Tayechi put on the finishing touches with a strike in the waning minutes. 

Qatar set for opening clash as FIFA U17 World Cup explodes into action

Doha: Hosts Qatar will take on Italy on Monday as the biggest edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025 kicks off in Doha.This will be the first edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup where a record 48 teams will aim for title glory in the Nov 3 to 27 tournament.Doha will host the entire tournament at two venues - the Aspire Zone football pitches and the iconic Khalifa International Stadium where the title clash will take place on November 27.Germany, coached by Marc-Patrick Meister, will be looking to defend the title they won two years ago in Indonesia where they beat France in a penalty shoot-out.Defending champions Germany open their account against Colombia on Tuesday. The same day football powerhouse Brazil face Honduras. Brazil are favourites to win the title for a record-equalling fifth time. Nigeria are five-time winners of the event but they did not qualify for this year's edition.A total of eight matches have been scheduled on Monday when Argentina take on Belgium, Senegal play Croatia, South Africa battle Bolivia, Japan face Morocco, Portugal locks horns with New Caledonia and Tunisia face Fiji.Qatar, coached by Alvaro Mejia, will play against Bolivia and South Africa in Group A. Bolivia will take on South Africa on pitch 3 on Monday."We're just excited. This U-17 World Cup is a massive challenge," Mejia said in the build-up to the tournament. "We are aware of Qatar's position, how strong the opposition will be, and what a huge challenge this is. We're going into it full of excitement, and our target is to get as far as we possibly can, bearing in mind that we'll be up against Italy, one of the best teams in the last European Championship."It's lovely to feel excited about doing the right thing and giving players this kind of experience. These types of matches at such a young age will help them grow. We're putting in the hard work to make sure we're as motivated and prepared as possible," he added." Our aim is to feel comfortable on the ball. We know our opponents will try to put us in different situations, so we need to be prepared and try to get used to them. We want to be able to deal with whatever each match throws at us and adapt our style of play to the tournament itself," Mejia said.Qatar's key player will be Zaid Faisal who is a talented all-round centre-forward. Faisal's intelligent movement occupies defenders and allows team-mates to move fluidly and exploit the spaces around him. A cool and composed finisher, he also possesses impressive leadership qualities and has captained the team.Italy's key player is Samuele Inacio who was the top scorer at the U-17 EURO with five goals in four matches. Inacio is one Italian football’s most promising young players. With excellent technical skills and the ability to move between the lines and evade opponents, the No10 plays his club football in Germany for Borussia Dortmund.The U-17 national team is set to begin its journey in the FIFA U-17 World Cup "Qatar 2025" tomorrow afternoon, facing the Costa Rican national team in the Group C opener. The match will take place at the Aspire Zone Stadium in Doha at 4:30 pm, UAE time.Majid Salem Al Zaabi, the UAE coach, said on Sunday: “Our participation in the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals represents a historic moment for every player in the national team, and an opportunity to prove their abilities to the world. We have worked during the past period to build a clear identity for the team, based on discipline, fighting spirit and teamwork, and we strive to be up to the task.”Al-Zaabi added: “The Costa Rican national team is one of the teams that is characterized by physical strength and defensive organization, and we know their strengths and weaknesses very well. The players realize the importance of a strong start in our opening match in the Junior World Cup, and we will play the match with confidence and determination to achieve a positive result that will give us a great morale boost for the rest of the tournament.” 

Qatar finishes 4th at the U-17 Handball World Championship, Germany claims the title

Rabat: Qatar under-17 national handball team concluded its participation in the inaugural edition of the World Cup held in Morocco, finishing in fourth place after losing to Spain 23-35 in the third-place and bronze medal match on Saturday.The match between Qatar and Spain came amid high hopes of achieving a historic feat and claiming the bronze medal, after Qatar had advanced to the semifinals as the best second-placed team in the group stage.Qatar finished runner-up in Group B, earning two victories against Tunisia (38-30) and South Korea (45-24), and suffering one loss against Spain (23-41).In the semifinals, Qatar lost to Germany (22-39), which led them to play the third-place match against Spain. Despite the score difference, the Qatari players delivered a strong performance and showed great fighting spirit.Reaching the semifinals of the tournament marks a continuation of the remarkable international successes achieved by Qatari handball at various levels, most notably the silver medal won at the World Men's Handball Championship held in Doha in 2015. This achievement reflects the ongoing development of Qatar's youth programs and the national team's consistent presence among the top competitors worldwide.As for the final match, it brought together the Egyptian and German teams, and ended with Germany's victory (44-43) after extra time, during which the Germans secured the win following a marathon match full of dramatic turns.Germany led the first half (18-17) before Egypt rallied in the second half and came close to victory. However, the Germans scored an equalizer in the final seconds, then clinched the title of the inaugural edition of the championship in extra time. 

Qatar Men's National Team Qualifies for Fujairah International Teams Tennis Tournament Final

Fujairah:  The Qatari men's national team qualified for the final of the Fujairah International Teams Tennis Tournament, currently held in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Eight countries are participating: Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, and Syria.Team Qatar is represented by Musa Shanan, Mubarak Shanan, and Ghanem Al Sulaiti, and coach Munir Al Araj.The Qatari team qualified after a series of impressive results in the group stage. They defeated Bahrain 2-1 and the UAE by the same score, before losing to Jordan 0-3. This secured their place in the semifinals, finishing second in their group.In the semifinals, the Qatari team continued their strong performance, defeating Iran 2-1 to secure their place in the final against Jordan.Chairman of the National Teams Committee at the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel, and Badminton Federation, Khalid Al Khulaifi expressed his pride in the performance of the Qatari national team players throughout the tournament. He praised their outstanding level of play and their high fighting spirit, which reflected positively on Qatari tennis.Al Khulaifi expressed his hope that the national team would continue its strong performance in the final match and raise Qatar's name high in this prestigious event. 

West Asian Archery Championship to conclude on Monday

Doha: The curtain will come down tomorrow, Monday, on the 2nd West Asian Archery Championship, held at the Lusail Shooting Range Complex with the participation of around 100 male and female archers representing nine countries: Qatar (host), Kuwait, UAE, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen, and Syria.The championship features events in Olympic recurve and compound bow categories, across individual, team, and mixed team competitions.Today, the fifth day of the tournament, featured open training sessions for all athletes ahead of tomorrow’s finals, which will decide the champions in all men’s, women’s, and mixed events in both bow categories, followed by the medal ceremony.In the men’s individual recurve, Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman Al-Mousa will face compatriot Mansour Alawi in the gold medal match.In the women’s individual recurve, Qatar’s Maha Abdulhai will meet Kuwait’s Suad Al-Bahar for the gold.In the men’s individual compound, Saudi Arabia’s Ali Al-Baqmi will compete against Kuwait’s Abdullah Malallah for gold, while in the women’s compound, Qatar’s Aisha Al-Saai will face the UAE’s Amina Al-Owaidi in the final.In the team competitions, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will contest the men’s recurve team gold medal match, while Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will play for gold in the women’s team recurve. The mixed team recurve final will also feature Saudi Arabia against the UAE.Meanwhile, in the compound team events, Saudi Arabia will meet Iraq in the men’s final, while the women’s compound team gold medal match will be an all-UAE affair, and Saudi Arabia will again face the UAE in the mixed compound final.Qatar is represented by 12 archers: Ahmed Al-Sada, Suleiman Bu Taima, Maha Abdulhai, Reem Al-Saai, Sharifa Al-Obaidly, Amina Al-Jarman, Farhan Abdurrahbah, Abdulaziz Al-Abadi, Hamad Al-Yafie, Omar Laram, Munira Al-Adsani, and Aisha Al-Saai.The Qatari team prepared for the championship through international training camps and participation in multiple overseas competitions.