Muhsen wins Rifle Gold in QSAA Cup

DOHA, October 06, 2017- Ahmad Muhsen claimed the gold medal of Youth's 10m Air Rifle Event in the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA) Cup on Thursday. Fahad Jamal finished second ahead of Abdulaziz Al Ali in the third place. In Men's Event, Black Solo took the gold medal. Nasser Khaled and Mohammad Sabri claimed the silver and the bronze medals respectively. Mesfer Al Marri clinched the gold medal of Youth's 10m Air Pistol Event. Al Marri led the standings ahead of Abdulaziz Abdullah and Turky Abdullah.

QOC President confirms Qatar belief in bringing nations together through sport

DOHA, October 05 , 2017 – His Excellency, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatar Olympic Committee President has confirmed Qatar's considerable belief in the importance of sport to tackling all differences , describing sport as a language that bringing nations together and integrating cultures .These words came in his key speech at the annual Sport Excellence Day Award ceremony held at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha on Wednesday.In the prestigious event, the QOC President honored Qatari champions and sport dignitaries in recognition to their considerable achievements in the outgoing season.Commenting on the new brand and strategy, Sheikh Joaan said: “Sport showcases the very best of humanity and it inspires humanity to give the very best version of itself. It provides hope, opportunity and unity.This is why I love sport so much, and why I am so excited about today's launch of the QOC's new brand and strategy. We are an ambitious and optimistic nation and like every successful athlete, we are determined to continue to better ourselves, push our boundaries, breakdown barriers and re-define sporting greatness."“Today is one of the most important moments in Qatar's sporting past, present or future. It is a game-changing moment that will open sport up to more people than ever before, create new heroes and fuel future success. It feels like a sporting revolution and the start of something new. " He added.Explaining more about the story of the brand, Sheikh Joaan said: “Our new brand will reflect the values of our nation, and the values of sport. Like Qatar, it is young, bold, passionate and dynamic. It shares our nation's ambition, our optimism and our pride in the strength and ability of our people. It is a brand for our future and one that we hope will inspire, empower and educate our young people through the transformational power of sport. We hope that it will inspire future champions in sport and for sport."

QOC unveils new brand identity

DOHA, October 05, 2017-The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) unveiled its new brand and strategy at an impressive ceremony in Doha on WednesdayThe event, which was attended by QOC President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, featured the launch of a new Team Qatar website, the first-ever Team Qatar Club as well as the re-designed Team Qatar social media channels.The logo builds on Qatar's sporting heritage and patriotic roots by combining the national flag and shield as a symbol of pride, whilst looking to the future with a contemporary, adaptable and innovative design, which is able to adopt multiple forms across modern and traditional platforms.Team Qatar's most successful athletes, including high jump World Champion Mutaz Barshim, Olympic show jumping finalist, Sheikh Ali Al Thani, Paralympic silver medallist, Abdulrahman Abdelqader, Asian shooting medallist, Khulood Al Khalaf, and Qatar's first female to compete in two Olympics, Nada Arakji, joined Qatar's future sporting stars in an inspirational ceremony that culminated in the unveiling of the QOC's new logo to the world.The QOC believes that Team Qatar's athletes are the most powerful tool to engage young Qataris in sport. The roll out of the new brand will focus on raising awareness of Qatar's athlete​s, building their fan bases and creating a compelling connection between Team Qatar and the community, in order to encourage increased sports participation at every level - not just as champion athletes, but at school, with family, at clubs - or as coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators and more. To help achieve this ambition, the QOC has also launched the 'Team Qatar Club', a new online sporting community. The digital fan club will feature as a private, members-only area on thenew Team Qatar website and will provide exclusive and behind the scenes content about the incredible journeys of Qatar's athletes together with tips, advice, competitions, offers and much more.Joining the fan club is quick and easy and users can sign up using existing social media handles or an e-mail address.Speaking about the new brand identity, Barshim said,"I urge all my friends to join me in becoming a member of the Team Qatar Club! This will be the place to go for everything you need to know about our athletes andsport in Qatar, get health and fitness tips from the best, and connect with other sports fans!I can't wait share my stories, get closer to our sporting community and show the fun, exciting and human-side to sport. I hope that we are able to inspire our whole country to get involved with and enjoy sport!"Meanwhile, Barshim was chosen as the Male Athlete of the Season at the Sport Excellence Awards ceremony held on the sidelines of the event.HE Sheikh Joaan awarded the medal to the high jump world champion at a glittering ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Centre.Sara al Manaei was named the Female Athlete of the Season following her gold medals in shot put and javelin throw at last year's Junior Arab Athletics Championships while Ahmed Ali al Ansari won the Service to Sport Award for his huge contribution to the development of youth sports in Qatar.Qatar Equestrian Team was chosen as the men's team of the season while skeet shooters took the honours in the women's category.Qatar Athletics Federation won the Golden Federation Award.

QOC hosts Extraordinary General Assembly meeting

DOHA, October 5, 2017-The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) held its 33rd Extraordinary General Assembly meeting yesterday, with President His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, QOC vice president His Excellency Sheikh Saud bin Ali al-Thani, presidents of national federations, and chairpersons of the committees affiliated to QOC, in attendance. The General Assembly approved an enhanced organisational structure with Sheikh Saud bin Ali al-Thani as first Vice President, Dr Thani bin Abdulrahman al-Kuwari as second Vice President and Jassim Rashid al-Buenain as Secretary General. The General Assembly also saw discussion regarding the annual QOC sports events calendar, and the agenda and requirements for Team Qatar athletes in upcoming competitions.

QSAA Cup continues in style

DOHA, October 05, 2017- Ulc Yankojov claimed the gold medal of Men's 10m Air Pistol event at the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA) Cup being held at Lusail International Shooting Range.Ahmad Zayed Al Shammari finished second ahead of Ali Hassan in the third place.In Youth 10m Air Rifle event, Hamad al Marri took the gold medal. Ahmad Al Obaidli and Ahmad Al Khalifa claimed the silver and bronze medals respectively.Al Anoud Matar Al Naimi said that the tournament highlighted the skills of our shooters as Maryam Qumbur claimed a medal in rifle competitions.Al Naimi stressed that the tournament will help the Qatari shooters prepare for the upcoming Asian Championship to be staged in Japan.

Sjostrom clinches three gold medals to light up Doha pool

DOHA, October 05, 2017- Sarah Sjostrom's hat-trick of gold medals and a brace apiece by Chad Le Clos, Vladmir Morozov and Katinka Hosszu made the headlines as the FINA airweave Swimming World Cup got underway today with intriguing races at the Hamad Aquatic Center.Sjostrom is leading the race for the women's title comfortably, but the world record holder from Sweden, showed no signs of complacency as she stormed to victories in 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle races following a stunning display."I was fast today and my performance was good," the Olympic champion said after completing her perfect 3-for-3 on the opening day in Doha.“I am very happy on winning three gold medals. It's always fun to be in Doha and I am enjoying the contest."Sjostrom made the intentions clear right from the beginning when she won the 200m freestyle, clocking 1:52.00 to overcome Dutch rival Femke Heemskerk.She then touched 55.55 for a gold medal in 100m butterfly and wrapped up her perfect run with a victory in 50m freestyle in 23.28.It was also a good day for World Cup series leader Chad Le Clos, who sealed his 26th butterfly victory.The South African speedster also defeated rival Tom Shield of the USA on way to winning two gold medals from as many races he competed on the opening day.He defeated Shields in 50m butterfly, touching 22.45 and the US star was confined to bronze medal in the event with Qibin Zheng of China, grabbing the silver medal.“I am honoured to achieve this milestone for my country," Le Clos said about his milestone in the butterfly races.“I am very happy to beat Tom (Shields). He won the last race (in Hong Kong) so it's good to win this title. I am tired but there will be no excuses as I look forward to more races."It will not be a perfect meet for Hosszu like she enjoyed in Hong Kong, earning a perfect 6-for-6, however the Hungarian 'Iron Lady' fascinated her fans with an amazing comeback that lent her two gold medals and kept her in contention for cluster #2 win, despite a fiery show by Sjostrom on the inaugural day.Hosszu had to content with silver medal in the 50m backstroke but the most decorated female in the World Cup series fought back perfectly to claim gold medals in 200m IM and 200m backstroke races with times of 2:05.29 and 2:02.06 respectively.“I am super excited after today's races," said Hosszu, who received a roaring welcome from spectators.“I am looking forward to three races on the final day. I love the atmosphere in Doha and the support for me here is amazing," she said.Former world champion Morozov of Russia also looked in top form as he claimed gold medals in 100m freestyle and 100m IM. He clocked 46.87 for the 100m freestyle title and took 51. 38 for the medley triumph.“I am happy the way I've performed today. I got the momentum right," he said after the win.It was world champion Detti Gabriele of Italy, who again reigned supreme in men's 400m freestyle with a time of 3:42.57, beating rival Wojdak Wojciech of Poland.Jamaican world champion Alia Atkinson also struck a gold medal after finishing the job in 1:04.21, which she felt was not very fast.“I wanted to be faster but overall I am satisfied because I clinched the gold," she said before praising Doha.“Doha is one of my favourite venues and I love to compete here," she said.As many as 18 more finals will be decided today, the final day of the two-day meet which will bring curtains down to cluster #2 of the FINA World Cup series, which will be followed by the final cluster.