Qatar football team to play two friendlies in October

DOHA, September 28, 2017- The Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced that Qatar's national team will play friendlies against Singapore and Curacao in October. The games will be played on October 5 when Qatar face Singapore. Al Anabi will also face Curacao on October 10.Both international friendlies will be played in at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.It was also revealed that the U-23 squad is scheduled to host Mexico on October 8 at the same venue.Qatar is preparing for the AFC U-23 Championship set to take place in China in January.Coach Felix Sanchez, will announce the rosters for both squads after the conclusion of the third round of the QNB- Stars League.Qatar u-23 qualified to the biannual event after topping their qualification group above Syria, India and Turkmenistan.

Qatar's 3x3 gold medalist cagers get rousing welcome

​DOHA, September 27, 2017- Qatar's men's 3x3 national basketball team arrived on Tuesday to a rousing welcome at the Hamad International Airport after clinching the gold medal at the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.The welcoming ceremony was attended by officials of the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF), the basketball community as well as the players family, friends and the media.The unbeatable team of Abdulrahman Saad, Nedim Muslic, Tanguy Ngombo and Erfan Saeed ended the competition with a perfect six wins in six matches.QBF President Ahmed al Muftah welcomed the victorious team, praised them for bringing glory and honour to Qatar."The team achieved this great result against all odds despite the negative backdrop of our political situation. These four gentlemen displayed the courage and stamina that reflects our national pride," Muftah said. He added that the team played with absolute professionalism and in the spirit of the game. "Their cohesion and teamwork is what made them stand out from other teams. They unselfishly played for each other and were rewarded for it. Their behaviour on and off the court won them gold and the hearts of thousands watching," the QBF president said. QBF Secretary-General Ali al Malki dedicated the victory to the Emir of Qatar."The gold medal won by our players is a triumph for Qatar and in particular our exemplary leader and guide His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani.""The Qatar national team was inspired by the Emir and his continuing efforts to preserve the dignity and interests of our country. The victory symbolises our sovereignty and all who live in and love Qatar." The Qatar cagers thumped their Iraqi counterparts 22 -12 in the final to become the highlight of international 3x3 basketball. Saeed, the team captain and top scorer in the final with 11 points, said,"The Ashgabat experience was pretty special. It was great to come away finally with another gold medal. It was much different to other events we almost didn't make the final. But we came to win and that's what we did".Ngombo who hit the winning basket at the buzzer in the semi-finals against Mongolia (15-14) was ecstatic about been back home with the gold medal. "I am so happy about our gold performance. The Mongolia match was a real heart stopper. I honestly thought we lost it. With seconds on the clock, I thought I have nothing to loose. I took a shot and thank God it was on the buzzer and the game winner," he said."We are home now and happy to convey the amazing experience of the gold medal," Ngombo added. Saad, could not hide his smiles as he proudly strutted the airport with his shining medal around his neck."Yes, of course we are all happy. We went to the Ashgabat with only one thing in mind and that was to win the gold and make Qatar proud"."We played a great tournament winning six from six. I am so happy to be part of this team and to be back in Doha to share the experience with my family and friends," he said. Muslic, who was instrumental during the tournament said,"What a great feeling it is to be wearing the gold. I can never get enough of it. It's really good to be home after such a busy competition. To see the Federation and our supporters here to greet us makes the win a little more special.The players will converge again on October 10 in preparations for the all-important FIBA Asia Cup 2017 to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from October 27 to 29.

Qatar bag bronze in chess at Ashgabat Games

​ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, September 27, 2017 Qatar's Mohammed Al Sayed and Husein Aziz Nezad beat Iran before going down to China in the men's rapid chess team event and settled for a bronze medal along with hosts Turkmenistan on the Penultimate day of the 2017 Ashgabat Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games on Tuesday. In yesterday's semi-final, Nezad seemed to have Chinese player LI Chao on the ropes with Nf5, but he played imprecisely, losing a pawn and the resulting endgame as China moved into the final. China lost to Vietnam in the final, but secured two out of four gold medals which were on offer at the Chess Arena in Ashgabat on Tuesday . However, despite China's team success, the grand champion of the Ashgabat 2017 Chess competition remains Quang Liem Le of Vietnam who won the men's standard individual event convincingly. Today, the Al Annabi duo will compete in the men's blitz team event and will face off against Afghanistan in the first round. Meanwhile, Qatar shocked hot favourites South Korea 827-802 in the men's Team of Four semi-final yesterday and moved to into the final in which they meet Chinese Taipei. The nail-biting contest saw both teams struggle to carry on the first ball, with Qatar leading from early in the game and fending off a last-minute surge from Republic of Korea, including ten strikes in a row in the eighth frame from Young Seon Cho. Qatar had only squeaked into the semi-final by finishing fourth in Block 2 competition on Monday, just 48 pins ahead of Thailand.“Right now I can't believe it," said Jassim Mohamed Al Muraikhi, the youngest member of the Qatari team. “Thank God we did our job." “To beat the world champions is tough. We just tried to control our emotions and bowl our best."Republic of Korea had beaten Qatar by 332 points in the preliminary phase, but could not reproduce the performance when it really mattered. In the other semi-final, Chinese Taipei beat Indonesia 784-730 to also advance to the final. The results mean Republic of Korea and Indonesia both take bronze medals in the event. Having reached the final, Qatar are assured of a medal today and it could be Al Annabi's 11th medal at the Ashgabat 2017 Games which concludes today. Al Annabi athletes have already impressed at the Turkmenistani capital and are currently placed 16th among 67 Asian nations. Qatar's medal tally of 10 is made of four gold medals, three silver and three bronze medals.

QOA signs agreements with Barcelona, Lleida Universities

​DOHA, September 27, 2017 - Qatar Olympic Academy (QOA) on Tuesday signed agreements with both Barcelona and LIeida Spanish Universities, to become academic partners in the Executive Master Degree Program in Sports law which its first edition was launched by the QOA earlier in January for the first time in the Middle East.The agreement will name both universities as academic partner in the Executive Master Degree Program in Sport law which was launched by the QOA earlier in January for the first time in the Middle East.The signing ceremony was attended by Dr Thani bin Abdulrahman al-Kuwari, the Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Saif Mohammed al-Nuaimi, the QOA Executive Director.The QOA has launched the Executive Master Degree Program in the sport law earlier in January in co-operation with a number of international organisations including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) , Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), ANOC and Court of Arbitration For Sport (CAS) and Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC).The programme aims to spread awareness on sports law internationally and nationally, which helps students gain knowledge on international sports laws and how to deal with regulations correctly and professionally.Dr al-Kuwari said the partnership with both universities is a significant achievement for the QOA, adding the tie-up will include all programs and not only the Executive Master Degree Program in Sports Law.“The partnership will develop sports in Qatar, in addition to the capabilities of the students in Qatar which will be achieved through the cooperation with both universities, Dr al-Kuwari said. “This partnership is just the a beginning in QOA's path in being a global entity," he added.The Secretary General of the QOC revealed the agreement will run for four years, with the main goal of the academy to become a global identity and receive recognition for academic programmes.He said 2018 will be a busy one for the academy's students, where more programmes will be introduced in partnership with the Barcelona and LIeida Universities. The students will have the chance to attend classes in Barcelona University as well and have access to teaching staff from both universities at the academy. Josep Escoda Saloni, member of the International Olympic Committee Advisory Board and vice-president of International and Innovation Development in Catalonia, said the officials at the Barcelona University are thrilled with the partnership with QOA, considered it a start to many partnerships with other entities in the Asian and Arab regions. Saloni expected the co-operation with the academy to be fruitful in all aspects, given that Doha will host major sports events in the upcoming years, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Stage set for FINA World Cup series

DOHA, September 27, 2017-Hamad Aquatic Centre is all set to host the Doha leg of FINA/Airweave World Cup series on October 4-5.The venue, built in 2006, has hosted major events including 2006 Asian Games Aquatics competition, 2009 Diving World Series, 2011 Arab Games, World Cup series since 2012 in addition to the World Championships in 2014.The two-day event will be the fourth of eight-leg series after the opening leg in Moscow, Russia, last month. Berlin (Germany), Eindhoven (the Netherlands), Hong Kong, Beijing (China), Tokyo (Japan) and Singapore are the other stopovers.“It's always a great honour to host such a prestigious event. The tournament also gives us an opportunity to see so many outstanding swimmers in action," said Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) President Khaleel Al Jabir.Qatar is expected to field youngsters, and Al Jabir hoped it would give them the right exposure.

Qatar team off to Canada for FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championship

DOHA, September 27, 2017 – Qatar gymnastics team delegation will head to Montreal, Canada on Wednesday to participate in the 47th edition of the prestigious 2017 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships will take place from 2-8 October 2017 in Montréal.Team Qatar delegation to the event is chaired by Mohammed Al Maraghi, the board member of the Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) accompanying by gymnast Ahmed Nasser Al Dayyani, Ahmed Nabeel along with technical and managerial staff.In a press release on Tuesday, Mr. Mohammed Al Maraghi said Qatar has a promising team able to honor the country in this prestigious event that bringing together elite best world gymnasts.