Qatar win two gold medals in Kuwait International Championships

Kuwait, October 08, 2017-Qatar's Abdulrahman al-Nasr claimed the gold medal of Laser 4.7 event in the Kuwait International Sailing Championships concluded at the Kuwaiti Marine Sports Club yesterday.Yahya Bundan of Morocco finished second ahead of Mohammad Wael of Egypt in the third place.The other Qatari sailor Faris Al Bakri clinched the gold medal of Laser Radial event. Tunisia's Anis Lamjeed and Bahrain's Ahmad Abdullah took the second and the third places respectively.The event brought together 11 countries including Qatar, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Bahrain, UAE, Egypt, Italy, Canada and hosts Kuwait.

Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation attends ITU Congress

​DOHA, October 08, 2017-The Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation (QCTF) attended the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Congress in Rotterdam, Netherlands recently.The QCTF was represented by board member Prof Dr Nasser al-Mohannadi, and a strategic adviser. During the visit to the 30th ITU Congress, the QCTF met with global and Asian representatives of the sport to discuss how Qatar can significantly develop the sport of triathlon over the coming years.“It was an incredibly useful and inspiring series of meetings. The QCTF will be working diligently over the coming years to establish and development in key and fundamental areas. The relationships built over the last couple days will be vital to make sustainable progress by sharing knowledge, co-operating with other developing and developed federations around the world and gaining support from the global and Asian bodies," al-Mohannadi said.The QCTF president Dr Mohamed al-Kuwari said, “The relationships built by Prof Nasser, the work we are putting in to develop triathlon through our three-year strategic plan, combined with our ten-year vision will be key to delivering success. The first year in the plan will be about laying the basic foundations for long-term success such as developing coaches, grassroots events and junior elite programmes."

Qatar ready to host World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

DOHA, October 08, 2017-The Qatari delegates at the 47th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Montreal visited the Olympic Stadium hosting the event on Saturday. The Qatari delegates also met with the FIG officials and discussed the latest arrangement for the next edition of the event to be held in Doha next year.Doha won the bid in 2013 to become the first city in the Gulf region to host the prestigious event next year.“We're ready to host the Worlds, and we'll deliver one of the best championships. Our experience in organising the FIG World Series Cup for the last 10 years has given us a lot of experience," said Ali Al Hitmi, President of the Qatar Gymnastics Association. “Aspire Dome has been hosting the annual FIG event. It's a centrally-located venue for the gymnasts, officials and fans," he added .FIG president Morinari Watanabe during his last visit to Doha in November exuded confidence that Qatar has the capability to host top international competitions.A total of 400 gymnasts from 71 nations including 155 women and 245 men are taking part in the World Championships here.“We'll showcase Qatar's hospitality to the world when we host the event next year," said al-Hitmi.

Qatar defeat Singapore in friendly

DOHA, October 06, 2017-Almoez Ali was twice on target as Qatar defeated Singapore 3-1 in a friendly international at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium yesterday.The 21-year-old, who plays as a forward for Al Duhail Sports Club, struck in the 39th and 52 minutes while Ahmed Alaa converted a penalty in the 81st to round off things.Singapore, who were using the friendly as part of their preparations for their Asian Cup qualifier against Turkmenistan, netted their only goal through Mohamed bin Ramli in the 53rd minute.Qatar and Singapore had also played a friendly last year which Qatar won 4-0. Yesterday too, the Qataris were dominant and established control over the match right at the outset, creating several scoring chances.However, they had to wait until the 39th minute for their first goal, which came through Almoez Ali after he received a fine pass from Boualem Khoukhi.Earlier a fine effort by Hassal al-Haydous went to nought when his powerful shot from just outside the area missed the net by a whisker. Qatar consolidated just seven minutes after the interval after a great pass from Ismail Ali found Almoez who headed in from close. However, just a minute later, a fine Singapore counterattack saw bin Ramli pull one back for his side. Singapore came up with some fine moves after that but were beaten back by the Qatari defence. Qatar completed the formalities in the 81st minute when Ala Ahmed scored from the spot.

Qatar to participate in Grand Front Osaka Master

DOHA, October 06, 2017 - The Japan Volleyball Association hosts their first AVC Beach Volleyball Tour as “Grand Front Osaka Master" from October 6 to 9.Qatar (A) team will play in group (A) alongside New Zealand and Hang Kong while Qatar (B) will face Saudi Arabia, and Hosts Japan in Group (B).It is worth mentioning that Qatar teams have ended intensive training sessions on Sunday in Doha that in preparations for this prestigious championship.After participating in Grand Front Osaka Master, the Qatar beach volleyball team will fly to China to take part in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Qinzhou Open which will be held from October 11 to 15 on the Gold Coast of Maowei Sea.

Le Clos, Hosszu seal cluster wins as spectacular Doha meet ends

​DOHA, October 06, 2017-Doha once again proved to be one of the best stops of the FINA airweave Swimming World Cup as the two-day meet, which decided cluster #2 winners, came to a close in front of a full house at the Hamad Aquatic Center on Thursday night.Brilliant battles were witnessed during the high-profile event, with South Africa's Olympic and World champion Chad Le Clos and Hungarian sensation Katinka Hosszu turning out as the eventual winners of cluster #2.It was the sixth consecutive year for Qatar – host of the FINA World Championships and Masters in 2023 World Championships – to organize the FINA airweave World Cup series.Le Clos, who is leading the overall rankings comfortably with 312 points, accumulated a total of six medals including four gold and a couple of silver medals to win the penultimate cluster of the FINA series.“I am very happy with my tally – four gold and two silver medals – is a good performance and I am happy with the results," said Le Clos who looks to win the World Cup series for an unprecedented fourth time.The speedster also defeated rival Tom Shields of USA thrice during the event.“I won some close races against him (Shields) and I am happy about it. Most importantly, I won the cluster. It was a close contest in the cluster and I am happy to win it. I love Doha, it's a second home for me and lucky to me" he said.Hosszu was in sizzling form in the final night securing the cluster victory after winning three gold medals, which took her overall tally to five golds and a silver medal in the fifth leg of the overall series.“I am very happy with my performance. Spectators showed a huge support for me and motivate me a lot. A big thank you to them" said the Hungarian after she secured the cluster win.Swede Sarah Sjostrom, the Olympic and world champion, also had to gain a lot in Doha's leg as she managed to clinch five golds and a silver medal to keep her overall lead intact with 446 points. She lost to rival Hosszu in the eagerly-awaited 100m IM duel but she was delighted with the overall results.“I did some mistakes (in IM) but overall I am happy with my five gold medals. I have a good lead in the series," the Swede star said. “I'll go back to training after a break to prepare for the next cluster."Russian giant Vladmir Morozov signed off with three gold medals with a victory in 50m freestyle on the final day. The Winsdor 2016 World Championships star overcame Le Clos who finished second for a silver medal.Another Russian star, Kirill Prigoda, who is holding third spot in the overall rankings, also enjoyed a commendable run as he bagged two gold medals in as any day.German talent Christian Diener also made his presence felt by winning two gold medals, both on the final day.Jamaican world record holder Alia Atkinson also returned from Doha with a brace of gold medals.Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) President, Mr Khaleel Al Jabir said staging FINA's top events in Doha is making a good impact for the promotion of the sport in the region. The event is also beneficial for the Qatari swimmers as they learn a lot from the top swimmers."