Team Qatar fall to South Korea in Asian U-17 Handball Championship Semifinals

Amman : Team Qatar’s U-17 men’s handball squad narrowly lost to South Korea 35–36 in the semifinals of the inaugural Asian U-17 Handball Championship, currently taking place in Amman, Jordan, and running until September 25. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the World Championship in Morocco.The match went into extra time after finishing 31–31 in regular time, with South Korea edging past in the additional minutes.With this defeat, Team Qatar saw their hopes of qualifying for the upcoming World Championship come to an end.The squad reached the semifinals after finishing second in Group B of the main round with four points. They recorded victories of 32–25 over Jordan and 26–22 against Kuwait, before falling 25–46 to Iran.Earlier in the group stage, Team Qatar had topped Group B with four points, claiming wins of 38–24 over China and 27–23 against Saudi Arabia.A total of 13 teams are competing in the first-ever Asian U-17 Men’s Handball Championship. The top two finishers will qualify for the inaugural IHF U-17 Men’s World Championship, set to be staged in Morocco from October 24 to November 1, 2025. 

Team Qatar beat Yemen in U-17 Gulf Cup

Doha: Qatar’s U-17 national football team began their campaign in the Gulf Cup with a 1–0 victory over Yemen in their opening Group A match, played yesterday at Grand Hamad Stadium. The tournament is being hosted in Doha and runs until October 3.The decisive goal came in the 46th minute, scored by Faisal Saeed, who secured all three points for Qatar.Throughout the match, Qatar displayed solid performance and composure. Head coach Álvaro Mejía made several substitutions to give playing time to different members of the squad, ensuring broader team involvement.Qatar maintained defensive focus in the second half while creating multiple opportunities to extend the lead, though they were unable to convert those chances.In the other Group A clash, the UAE defeated Oman 1–0 at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium, thanks to a 75th-minute strike from Hamad Freij.The tournament kicked off a day earlier with two Group B matches: Iraq and Kuwait played to a 1–1 draw, while Saudi Arabia claimed a commanding 4–0 win over Bahrain to take the early lead in the group standings.The second round of group matches is scheduled for Tuesday, with Saudi Arabia facing Kuwait and Iraq taking on Bahrain in Group B. Qatar will return to action against Oman on Wednesday, while the UAE meet Yemen in Group A.The draw, conducted in August, placed Qatar as Group A hosts alongside the UAE, Oman, and Yemen. Group B includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait.According to the competition format, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on September 30, with the final set for October 3 at Grand Hamad Stadium. 

Botswana claim men’s 4x400m gold; Qatar finish 5th

Tokyo: Botswana’s burning desire to win a global men’s 4x400m title could not be quenched either by a torrential downpour or a United States quartet set on maintaining its huge tradition in an event where gold has gone to the Stars and Stripes in nine of the past 10 editions.When US anchor leg runner Rai Benjamin, the 400m hurdles champion, carried a two-metre lead into the final straight it, seemed as if the USA – despite what looked like a catastrophic start to this competition in the previous day’s heats – were set for another visit to the top of the podium.Behind him, South Africa – winners at the World Athletics Relays – and Olympic silver medallists Botswana appeared to be contesting silver.And when Zakithi Nene, added to the team having finished fifth in the individual final, came on strong on the outside, it looked as if South Africa would win that contest and perhaps even put final pressure on Benjamin.But there was one final twist remaining on a track glistening with rain under the aptly named floodlights as the slight figure of Collen Kebinatshipi somehow floated through the middle of his two challengers, just as he had in winning the individual 400m title, to bring Botswana home to their longed-for gold in 2:57:76.Benjamin, who had no chance to react to this final surge, edged the United States to silver by two-thousandths of a second as they shared the same given time with South Africa of 2:57:83.No one would have been happier for the result than Botswana’s second-leg runner, Letsile Tebogo, who had helped them take Olympic silver in Paris after winning the individual 200m title but who had seen the other side of fortune in Tokyo after being disqualified for a false start in the 100m final and missing out on a 200m medal by one place, despite clocking 19.65.Tebogo had put Botswana back level with the United States after making up ground on Jacory Patterson on the second leg with a super-fast split of 44.05.Bayapo Ndori, the 400m bronze medallist and another of the Paris 2024 silver medallists, kept them in the hunt before handing over to the ethereal talent of Kebinatshipi – who delivered once again in stupendous fashion.Tebogo, delighted, was the one to instigate Botswana’s celebrations as the four young men in pale blue shirts high-stepped their way deliriously through sloshing puddles with the zest of Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain.A United States quartet entirely different from the one that contested the final had finished outside qualification after coming home sixth in their heat. But they were able to progress after beating Kenya in a run-off earlier in the day after it had been decided that they had both been impeded by the Zambian team who were subsequently disqualified.South Africa’s challenge had been kept alive by an inspired third-leg run from their 33-year-old 400m world record-holder Wayde Van Niekerk.Fourth place went to the consistently talented Belgian team, who clocked 2:59:48 ahead of Qatar in 3:01:64, with Great Britain taking sixth place in 3:03:05.Qatar wrapped up their campaign at the 2025 World Athletics Championships with a single medal, courtesy of Abderrahman Samba’s bronze in the men’s 400m hurdles, but the national 4x400m relay team narrowly missed out on the podium in the final.The quartet of Abderrahman Samba, Yahya Ibrahim, Bassem Hemeida, and Ismail Dawood had already made history by reaching the relay final for the very first time, clocking a national record of 3:00.15 in Saturday’s heats.But under pouring rain at the National Stadium, they couldn’t replicate that amid puddles of water, finishing a creditable fifth. 

Qatar’s Aya Mohamed wins singles crown in Arab Table Tennis Championship

Doha: Aya Mohamed etched her name in history by becoming the first Qatari woman to win the women’s singles title at the Arab Teams Table Tennis Championship in Casablanca, Morocco, on Sunday.The 31-year-old defeated Jordan’s Tima Abu Yemen 3-2 in a thrilling final at the Mohammed V Indoor Complex, clinching Qatar’s 20th medal and fourth gold of the tournament.Mohamed also secured silver in doubles with Maryam Ali and another silver in the team event alongside Ali and Serena Sheikh.A pioneer for Qatari table tennis, Mohamed competed at the London 2012 Olympics and earlier this year, alongside Mohamed Abdulwahab, broke into the ITTF world’s top 100 in mixed doubles for the first time in Qatar’s history.Following her victory, Mohamed expressed pride in her achievement: “I am honoured to be the first Qatari to win this title. This moment will stay in my memory forever. The final was tough, but with focus and determination, I was able to deliver this gold medal for Qatar.”Head of the Qatari delegation, Khalid Ali Al Kuwari, hailed Mohamed as a “champion of gold,” calling the triumph a reward for years of dedication and sacrifice, and credited Federation President Khalil bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi for his unwavering support. 

Qatar to meet South Korea in Asian U17 Handball Semi-Finals

Amman: Qatar’s under-17 men’s handball team will take on South Korea tomorrow (Tuesday) in the semi-finals of the inaugural Asian Men’s U17 Handball Championship, currently being held in Amman, Jordan, from September 15 to 25. The competition doubles as a qualifier for the first-ever IHF U17 World Championship, set for Morocco later this year.Qatar heads into the semi-final aiming to secure a spot in the final and strengthen their bid for the continental title, while also targeting qualification for the global tournament.The young Qatari squad booked their place in the last four by finishing second in Group B of the main round with four points. They claimed important wins against Jordan (32–25) and Kuwait (26–22), but fell to Iran (25–46) in their final match.Earlier, Qatar had topped their group in the preliminary stage with back-to-back victories, defeating China 38–24 and Saudi Arabia 27–23.The other semi-final will feature Iran against Bahrain, setting up two highly anticipated clashes.In total, 13 national teams are competing in this first edition of the Asian Men’s U17 Championship. The finalists will qualify to represent Asia at the inaugural IHF Men’s U17 World Championship, scheduled to take place in Morocco from October 24 to November 1, 2025. 

Qatar Volleyball Association to host Beach U18 World Championships 2025

Doha: The Qatar Volleyball Association announced that it will host the Beach U18 World Championships 2025 for men and women at Al Gharafa Beach Courts from October 7 to 11, marking the first time the event will be staged in the Middle East, with the participation of top national teams from around the world.The tournament will open with the preliminary qualifiers featuring 24 teams, from which four will advance to join 28 pre-qualified teams in the main draw. This will complete the roster of 32 teams in both the men’s and women’s categories.Previous editions of the World Championships were held in Thailand (2021), Turkey (2022), and China (2024), before the 2025 edition was awarded to Doha.Mohammed Salem Al-Kuwari, Board Member of the Qatar Volleyball Association and Chairman of the Beach Volleyball Committee, said that hosting the World Championships reflects the great trust placed in Qatar by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). He emphasized that Doha has become a preferred destination for major tournaments thanks to its advanced infrastructure and strong organizational expertise.He added: “We are proud to host this championship for the first time in the Middle East. We are determined to deliver an exceptional edition worthy of Qatar’s reputation and its status as a global sporting hub. Fans can expect high-level matches and thrilling competition from some of the world’s most promising young beach volleyball talents.”Al-Kuwari further stressed that organizing the World Championships offers a valuable opportunity for young Qatari athletes to gain experience and compete at the highest level, while also allowing local fans to enjoy a world-class event live from the courts.