Ali Al-Hitmi re-elected President of the Qatar Gymnastics Federation

Doha:  The General Assembly of the Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) has re-elected Ali Ahmed Al-Hitmi as President of the QGF for the 2024-2028 term. During the meeting, which was held today at the QGF headquarters, Abeer Al-Buenain was elected as Secretary-General and Mohammed Al-Maraghi was elected as Assistant Secretary General. Moreover, Abdulrahman Al-Muftah and Essa Al-Hitmi were elected as members of the QGF's Board of Directors. The General Assembly agenda included the approval of the previous meeting's minutes and the endorsement of last year's financial statements.  

Qatar Olympic Committee and Doha Bank Sign partnership Agreement to Advance Sports Development

Doha – The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Doha Bank signed a cooperation agreement today aimed at supporting and promoting the sports movement in Qatar. The signing ceremony took place at the QOC headquarters, in the presence of H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Fahad Al Thani, Representative of Chairman of Doha Bank’s Board of Directors. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Qatar Olympic Committee by H.E. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, Secretary General of the QOC, and on behalf of Doha Bank by Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Fahad bin Faisal Al Thani, Group CEO of Doha Bank. His Excellency Jassim bin Rashid Al-Buenain expressed the importance of this partnership, stating: "This agreement marks a new step in strengthening our collaboration with national institutions that share our vision for sustainable sports excellence. We value Doha Bank’s support for Qatari sports and its active role in the development of this sector." For his part, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Fahad bin Faisal Al Thani said: "We are honored to collaborate with the Qatar Olympic Committee to support Qatari sports and contribute to enhancing Doha’s position as the Sports Capital of the World. This agreement reflects our commitment to supporting initiatives that reinforce Qatar’s role as a leading sports destination." The agreement serves as a foundation for collaborative efforts between the sports and economic sectors, contributing to Qatar’s comprehensive development across various fields.

Farooq bowls Qatar to victory over Bahrain

Doha: Left-arm pacer Amir Farooq’s impressive five-wicket haul, combined with half-centuries from Imal Liyanage and Mohammad Ahnaff, powered Qatar to a 13-run victory over Bahrain in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier B on Monday. The win at Doha’s West End Park International Cricket Stadium marked Qatar’s fourth consecutive triumph in the tournament bringing them within reach of the Regional Final, where the top two teams will progress. Batting first, Qatar posted a formidable total of 185-2 with Liyanage smashing 78 off 49 balls and Ahnaff contributing 60 off 50. Farooq led the charge in defending the total, claiming 5-32 in his four overs as Bahrain were restricted to 172-9. Mohammed Jabir (2-32) and Ikramullah Khan (1-4) also chipped in with key wickets. Bahrain captain Haider Ali top-scored for his side with 68 runs. In other matches, Saudi Arabia defeated Cambodia by five wickets while Thailand secured a narrow seven-run win over Bhutan. UAE continue to lead the standings with eight points, edging second-placed Qatar on net run rate. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Thailand are tied on four points each. Teams advancing from Qualifier B will join Nepal, Oman, and Papua New Guinea in the Regional Final.

Abdulaziz Al-Tamimi elected President of the Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation

Doha:  The General Assembly of the Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation (QCTF) has elected Abdulaziz Saud Al-Tamimi as President of the QCTF for the 2024-2028 term.   During the meeting, which was held today at the Qatar Olympic Committee headquarters, Abdullah Shaheen Al-Kaabi, Ahmed Hamad Al-Benali, Abdullah Mohammed Al-Menhali and Fatima Essa Ghanim were elected as members of the Federations Board of Directors.  The Assembly agenda included the approval of the previous meeting's minutes and the endorsement of last year's financial statements.  

Momen fights back to claim QSF 5 Open 2024 Title

Doha: Egypt’s World No.9 Tarek Momen claimed the QSF 5 Open 2024 title after coming from behind to defeat his compatriot Aly Abou Eleinen 3-1 in the final of the PSA Squash Tour Bronze-level event.  Momen, whose last title came at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex when he won the QSF 3 Open 2024 in May, shrugged off a slow start to overcome Eleinen 2-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 in just over an hour. Eleinen, who had got the better of Momen in the previous two meetings so far this season, got off to the best possible start with his accurate squash forcing some errors from the top seed’s racket to take the first game. However Momen started to find his range with much improved length hitting and accuracy helping him restore parity, and the former World Champion was putting plenty of work into the legs of Eleinen with the use of the cross court seeing him take a 2-1 lead. After saving three of four game balls in the third, Eleinen requested a new ball – which had worked in his favour in his semi-final victory over Qatar’s Abdulla Al-Tamimi yesterday. A fresh ball wouldn’t come to his aid this time, though, as Momen continued to control the rallies and dominate the middle of the court. The 36-year-old sealed the fourth game 11-7 to secure his 11th title on the PSA Squash Tour. “After the first game I thought I was going home in 20 minutes!” Momen said afterwards.  “He [Aly Abou Eleinen] was on fire in that first game and despite warming up for nearly 45 minutes I still felt my movement was a bit slow and you can’t be slow against someone like Aly.  “He blew me off the court in five minutes, but thankfully from the second game I had to push myself, I knew this was a final and I wanted to win.  “I told myself I needed to fight and it worked. I started moving well, I started going for my shots and I didn’t miss much which is the reason why we played a really good match today.”

Qatar beat Iran in Saudi 2025 Asian Cup and Qatar 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers

Doha: The Qatari national team achieved a historic and valuable victory over their Iranian opponents, winning 78-77 in extra time, in the fourth round in Group E of the double header Saudi 2025 Asian Cup qualifiers and the FIBA World Cup Qatar 2027 qualifying game that took place on Monday evening in Al-Gharafa Hall. The four regular time periods of the game ended with: (16-14, 15-22, 17-15, and 20-17), while the extra time period came with a score of (10-9) in favour of the Qatari national team. In the same group, India achieved a valuable victory over the Kazakh national team with a score of (88-69) within the framework of the second Asian window. With this victory, the Qatari team raised their score to six points, in second place, while Iran tops the group standings with seven points, and the Indian team occupy third place with five points, followed by the Kazakh team with four points in fourth and last place. The third Asian window is scheduled to start in February 2025, where the Qatari team will host the Kazakh team on February 21 and the Indian team in Doha on February 24. The qualifiers will be held on a home and away basis through three windows, and the first and second teams in each group will qualify directly for the Asian Cup, while the third-place teams will play additional qualifiers to determine four other teams that will complete the list of teams qualified for the continental championship hosted by the city of Jeddah next August.