Second Round of Doha International Equestrian Championship Starts Tomorrow

Doha: The Longines Arena at Al Shaqab is set to host the second round of the Doha International Equestrian Championship starting tomorrow, Thursday. Organized by the Qatar Equestrian Federation, Al Shaqab, and the Qatar Olympic Committee, the championship will run until Saturday. The first day's schedule features six rounds across one-star, two-star, and four-star categories, in addition to a local competition for future riders with jumps set at a height of 60 cm. The day begins at 9:30 AM with a two-star category event at 130 cm, followed by a one-star event at 110 cm at 12:30 PM. A two-star competition at 145 cm will take place at 1:40 PM, leading to the local future riders' event at 60 cm at 3:50 PM. In the evening, the four-star competition at 140 cm will start at 4:45 PM, followed by a one-star event at 120 cm at 6:15 PM. The day will conclude with a four-star event at 145 cm at 7:30 PM. The championship comprises three international rounds. While the first and second rounds focus on one-star, two-star, and four-star categories, the third and final round, scheduled for January 23–25, will feature one-star, three-star, and the prestigious five-star categories. The first round, held last week, was a major success, showcasing high technical standards and attracting significant audience attendance.  

Nine Track Events and Five Field Events at the Doha Diamond League Meeting

Monaco: The 2025 Diamond League athletics season will feature 15 meetings worldwide, starting in Xiamen, China, in April and concluding in Zurich, Switzerland, in September. Doha will host the third meeting of the season on May 16 at the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar Sports Club. The program includes 14 events, with 8 for men and 6 for women, marking the return of the high jump after its absence last year. The Doha meeting will feature 9 track events and 5 field events, covering short, middle, and long-distance races. Track events will include the 200m, 100m, 400m, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, and 3000m steeplechase. Field events will comprise pole vault, triple jump, high jump, discus throw, and javelin throw. Qatari star Abderrahman Samba is expected to compete in the 400m hurdles, joining a strong lineup of elite athletes in what promises to be a highly competitive event.  

Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba gears up for 2025 hurdles season

Doha: The Qatar Athletics Federation has unveiled the preparation plan for star hurdler Abderrahman Samba as he gets ready for the 2025 athletics season. Samba is currently training intensively at a camp in Valencia, Spain.   The federation announced on its social media platforms that Samba, a leading figure in the 400m hurdles, is focused on a rigorous training regimen designed to prepare him for a packed 2025 season featuring numerous high-profile events.   Having established himself as one of the best in the world, Samba made a triumphant return to competition after overcoming an injury that kept him off the track for over two years. He returned to top form, winning gold in the 400m hurdles at the Asian Games in China. Samba also showcased his talent in the Diamond League and represented Qatar at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.   For the 2025 season, Samba’s agenda includes the Diamond League, the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea in June, and the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.  

Qatar's Rabeah Al-Kuwari secure second place at WTT Youth Contender Linz 2025 in Austria

Doha: Qatar’s young table tennis talent, Rabeah Khaled Al-Kuwari, earned the silver medal at the WTT Youth Contender Linz 2025 tournament in Austria. Competing in the under-11 singles category, the event spanned four days in the city of Linz. Al-Kuwari delivered exceptional performances, dominating Group A with a perfect 4-point score. Among his notable victories was a commanding 3-0 win (12-10, 11-9, 11-8) over promising Austrian player Julian Luginer. Advancing to the semifinals, Al-Kuwari faced Moldovan player Nicolae Bucur, the Group B leader. He once again prevailed with a flawless 3-0 victory (11-3, 11-9, 12-10), securing his place in the championship match. In the final, Rabeah encountered French player Arthur Xian. Despite his efforts, Al-Kuwari fell short, losing 3-0 (4-11, 2-11, 4-11), and concluded the tournament as runner-up, marking a significant achievement in an international field of elite competitors. Recognized as one of Qatar’s brightest table tennis prospects, Al-Kuwari is a key member of the "Dream Team" initiative. This project, overseen by the National Teams Committee of the Qatar Table Tennis Association in partnership with Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, aims to develop future champions.  

Favourites France begin with win over Qatar

Zagreb  - France threw off the action in Porec at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, with a clear win against Qatar, 37:19, proving the favourites’ status in Group C of the preliminary round on Tuesday. Right from the start, the French team imposed their rhythm and did not allow Qatar to score easily leaving them empty-handed on day one. France came out strong in the match, with Remi Desbonnet making two quick saves that kept Qatar goalless for the first four minutes. The Aisan side showed a brief spark of hope, fuelled with good defensive action, but it did not last long. They managed to stay level for just four minutes before France powered ahead with a 5-0 goal run, pulling ahead 7:2 after 12 minutes. Qatar’s head coach, Veselin Vujovic, who took over the team in August 2024, expected a tough match against France and saw it as a chance to prepare his players for the upcoming important clashes against Australia and Kuwait. However, he wasn’t satisfied with his team’s performance. Left back Frankis Marzo struggled to find his rhythm, scoring only once from seven attempts in the first 20 minutes. Despite their struggles, left wing Ahad Madadi celebrated his 300th international goal when scoring for 11:6. French lead extended to eight goals by halftime, 18:10, as Desbonet continued where he left off at the start, closing the first half with 40 per cent save efficiency. The real problem for Qatar were their backcourt shots, as their backcourt players were at only 14 per cent efficiency. The second half brought more of the same, as France maintained their dominance. They forced Qatar to keep trying to score from the outside, where they remained on the low percentage and continued to put pressure on them. Just five minutes into the second half, France hit a double-digit lead when Thibaud Briet netted his fourth goal of the game, cementing their control of the match. The bright side of the Qatar team was their goalkeeper, Anadin Sulijakovic, who was giving his best against the current European champions with 11 saves. In the end, both teams used all of their 16 players, rotating and resting their starters. Still, the French team was more efficient as only one out of their 14 outfield players did not score at least once. On the other side, eight players netted at least once. The 18-goal win for France, 39:18, was reached with Thibaud Briet seven goals, Aymeric Minne netted five times, while a late wake-up call from Frankis Marzo made him his side’s top scorer with four goals. Qatar’s next game against Austria on Thursday will be crucial, while France will take on inexperienced Kuwait.  

Team Qatar prepares for IHF World Men’s Handball Championship kicks off

Poreč: Qatar's national handball team is making final preparations to face France Tuesday in the opening match of the 29th IHF World Men’s Handball Championship to be held from January 14 to February 2 in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway. The team has arrived in Poreč, Croatia, where Group C matches will take place. Qatar will compete in the preliminary round against France, Austria, and Kuwait, starting with a tough opener against France on Tuesday. The team is determined to deliver a strong performance in this championship and compete fiercely despite facing top-level opponents. Qatar's final training session is scheduled for this evening, attended by Ahmed Al-Shaabi, President of the Qatar Handball Association, and members of the administrative delegation. Their presence aims to motivate the players ahead of the crucial match. As part of its preparations, Qatar played five friendly matches. In Slovenia, the team faced Slovenia and Algeria, and earlier in Doha, they played two matches against Argentina and one against Bahrain. These matches helped the coaching staff assess player readiness and experiment with strategies, focusing on development rather than results.