Team Qatar to face hosts Bahrain in Arab Volleyball Championship Final

Manama : Team Qatar will shake hands with  hosts Bahrain in the final match of the 23rd Arab Men’s Volleyball Championship to be held  in Manama , Bahrain on Sunday. Team Qatar secured its spot in the final showdown after beating Tunisia 3-1  in Friday’s semifinal game. Likewise hosts Bahrain secured   a 3-0 victory over Oman to reach the final game on Friday.  The championship features eight teams including Oman, Iraq, Tunisia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.

Team Qatar qualify to round of 12 at Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Rio

Rio de Janeiro: Qatar’s dynamic beach volleyball duo of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, have advanced to the round of 12 at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Rio de Janeiro.  The pair secured third place in Group C after a decisive 2-0 victory over Brazil’s Arthur Mariano and Pedro Sousa, followed by a challenging 0-2 loss to the Netherlands’ Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers on Friday.  In Saturday’s round of 12, Younousse and Tijan will face Austria’s Waller and Hammarberg as they aim to continue their impressive run.  

Team Qatar qualify to Arab Volleyball Championship final

Manama:  Team Qatar have clinched their spot in the final match of the 23rd Arab Men’s Volleyball Championship after defeating Tunisia 3-1 in Friday's semifinal clash.  In the final showdown set for Saturday, Team Qatar will take on Bahrain, who secured their place with a 3-0 victory over Oman, also on Friday.  The championship features eight teams including Oman, Iraq, Tunisia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. 

Farida Mudhar shines at Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show

Doha: Farida Mudhar, owned by Sheikh Hamad bin Ali al-Thani, was adjudged best in the Yearling Fillies (2 Years Old) 4A category on the second day of the 2nd edition of Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show at the Longines Arena in Al Shaqab yesterday. Shamikhat Al Hawajer of Al Thamer Stud was second and Fadwa Mudar, owned by Sheikh Hamad bin Ali al-Thani, was third. In the Yearling Fillies (2 Years Old) 4B class qualifiers, Harriya Al Nasser, owned by Al Nasser Stud was first, Sheikha Mudhar, owned by Sheikh Hamad bin Ali al-Thani, second, and KH Mazyouna, owned by sons of Mubarak al-Khalidi, third. The Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Show will continue until tomorrow. The championship, supported by the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund (Daam), has the participation of 285 horses, including 63 from the Gulf Arab countries, and under the supervision of a prestigious jury with judges from various countries. Yesterday, the qualifying rounds for the finals of two-year-old fillies (4A and 4B), three-year-old fillies, one-year-old colts (A6 and B6), and two- and three-year-old colts were held. Today, the qualifiers for mares aged (4-6), mares aged 7-10, and mares over 11 years old, followed by the rounds for stallions aged 4-6 years old, then stallions over 7 years old will be held. Dr Fahad al-Hajri, Director of Protocol and Public Relations at Al Shaqab, said that the championship is witnessing strong competitions and praised the large participation from owners within and outside Qatar with high quality of the horses. He stressed that the show is considered as one of the best in the region. It is also one of the internationally accredited championships and qualifies for major championship held in Qatar at the (A) level and Title Show. Al-Hajri pointed out that Al Shaqab is keen to organise such shows in accordance with its goals aimed at preserving the Qatari heritage by promoting Arabian horses and reaching the highest levels in horse welfare, production and equestrian education. He added that Al Shaqab’s vision is to become the world’s leading equestrian centre with a major focus on the Arabian horse breed, which is one of the oldest breeds and an important part of Qatar’s culture and heritage.

Curtain comes down on IHF Beach Handball Global Tour

Doha: Brazil’s men and women are champions of the 2024 IHF Beach Handball Global Tour after they won their respective competitions at the final stage of the tour on Thursday (7 November).   Stage 3 – the final stage – was played at the Al-Gharafa Beach Venue in Doha, Qatar across two days (6 to 7 November) with four men’s and four women’s national teams in action.   The South Americans won all four of their games each over the two days, with the women’s side defeating Spain and the men’s team beating Croatia in their respective finals to win gold.   Brazil’s women defend 2023 title  It was rather appropriate that the team which plays in gold, needed a golden goal from a player with golden hair to win gold on the golden sand of Doha, but that was the case for Brazil as Lavinia Soares de Lima broke through the Spanish defensive lines on the left wing to shoot home the single point after being fed the ball by Beatriz Cruz to ensure a second period, and overall, 2-0 win.   That 2-0 (17:12, 21:20) victory for Brazil saw them defend their 2023 title won last year at the debut of the tour finale in Doha.   The first period against Spain had been equal (6:6) until the fourth minute, but a flurry of misses by Spain and saves from Brazil combined with Mariane Hanthequeste being fed the ball time and time again on the left wing to sink home, saw the South American side push ahead to 15:8, Spain being unable to score for four minutes.  But this did not dampen the European spirits as Spain came out for the second period full of energy in a noticeably more up-tempo affair. They did not trail for the whole 10 minutes and had the chance to win when they called their time out with just 20 seconds remaining (09:40), with the score deadlocked at 20:20.   However, their post time-out attack saw Ingrid Frazao pull off a fantastic save for Brazil to take the game to that golden goal period. Cruz then won the restart, and despite an injury pause resulting from the scramble for that ball saw a tense wait for action to start once again, Soares de Lima ensured the win.   Earlier on in the evening, Germany defeated Portugal 2-0 (25:22, 19:12) to win bronze and in the final group games of the day in the afternoon session, Brazil – already qualified to the final – defeated the Portuguese 2-0 (22:14, 17:14) with Camila Queiroga top-scoring on 15 points, and Spain confirmed their final spot with a 2-0 (8:7, 29:22) win over the Germans, which included 12 points from Sara Hernandez Torrico for the Spanish.   Brazil ended up as top-scorers in Doha with 145 points in their four games, one ahead of Germany (144) in second, and with the best defence (122 points conceded), three ahead of the Germans (125). Germany could boast Isabel Kattner as the tournament top-scorer, on 48 points, ahead of Spain’s Maria Asuncion Batista Portero, on 47. Kattner had scored 12 points in the bronze medal match to top the charts.     World champions fall to Brazil in men’s final   After Brazil and Croatia men’s sides won each of their two matches on day one, they knew they would meet in the final on day two, but first, they had to play each other in their final round robin group game.   In the dress rehearsal for the gold medal match, it went to a shoot-out, won by Brazil 7:6, despite the South Americans missing their first shot. Matheus Victor Medeiros scored 14 points for the Brazilians as he helped his side to a 2-1 (20:21, 22:18, SO 7:6) victory and a perfect preparation for the final later on in the evening.  That final was, perhaps, more one-sided than expected as Brazil eased to a shock 10-point first period win. They were deadly in front of goal, scoring from their first eight attacks, with the Europeans only managing to score five times in the same period. That ensured a healthy lead to pick up the first 10 minutes (24:14) and it was with that impetus that Brazil took the second period, by nearly the same score (23:14). Veteran players Nailson Amaral (Brazil) with 14 points and Ivan Juric (Croatia) with 16 were top-scorers for their respective teams.  In the afternoon session Qatar beat Germany 2-1 (18:23, 26:16, SO 9:8) in their final group game, thanks to 18 points from Nidhal Montassar Messaoud and it was the same result when they played for bronze in the evening session, 2-1 (18:20, 18:16, SO 6:0). Amir Denuir Nowraddine and Anis Zouaoui both scored 12 points each for the Asian team, who were thankful that the Europeans missed all three of their strikes in the shoot-out.   Croatia captain Juric ended up as tournament top scorer on 53 points, ahead of teammate Vigo Konforta (52), while Brazil top-scored across the four games, with 189 points (ahead of Germany in second on 178) and could boast the best defence, conceding just 150 points, well ahead of second-placed Qatar, with 164.  

Al Shaqab Arabian Horse Beauty Championship qualifiers conclude

Doha : The qualifying rounds for the second edition of the Al Shaqab International Arabian Horse Beauty Championship concluded yesterday. The four-day event, held at the Longines Outdoor Arena at Al Shaqab, will wrap up today. Supported by the Social and Sport Activities Support Fund (Daam), the championship features the participation of 285 horses, including 63 from the Gulf countries, with an esteemed panel of international judges, underscoring the importance of this championship. In the mares’ category for ages 4-6, Qamrat RJ, owned by Hamad bin Mohammed al-Rajhi, claimed first place. In second was Francesca HVP, owned by Ali Abdullah al-Kuwari, while Falah Hussein al-Ajmi’s Mayaar Al Omariya came third. In the mares’ category for ages 7-10, Al Salem Stud secured first and third places with D Shatha and D Fala, respectively. Mayar Al Rabia, owned by Sultan bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Ghoshan, took second place. In the 11 years and older mares category, AV Dalia, owned by Al Saigal Stud, achieved first place, while DA Magic Moment and Farona, both owned by Misfer Mohammed al-Hajri, took second and third places, respectively. The championship finals will take place today, with awards for all categories, including fillies and colts (newborns), yearlings, and two- and three-year-olds, as well as mares and stallions. The organising committee has allocated valuable prizes for the horses winning gold, silver and bronze medals. The finals will feature horses that placed first to third in the qualifiers for each category. This year, for the first time, the event includes a new class: the Newborns Class, and it serves as a qualifying event for prestigious championships, including the World Arabian Horse Beauty Championship, Katara Festival and Global Champions Tour. The championship is classified as a ‘B’ category under the supervision of the European Conference of Arab Horse Organisations (ECAHO), enabling winning horses to qualify for higher-ranked international championships. Through this championship, Al Shaqab aims to preserve the rich cultural heritage that fosters an appreciation for Arabian horses, while promoting the growth and status of the Arabian horse both locally and internationally.