Team Qatar lose to France in World Padel Championships

Doha: Favourites Spain and Argentina continued to excel in the men’s and women’s divisions of the FIP World Padel Championships at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex yesterday. Meanwhile, hosts Qatar suffered their second consecutive loss. Argentina – the most successful nation in the history of Padel World championships, and Spain – the title-holders - recorded clean sweeps against USA and UAE respectively. However, Qatar, who went down to Chile on Day 1 of the prestigious event, lost in straight sets yesterday to France. In a seemingly one-sided clash in Group B, Spanish men swept past UAE, with the world’s top pair Juan Lebron and Arturo Coello opening with a strong 6-1, 6-2 victory over S Icardo and I Jofre. World No 3 Alejandro Galan and Miguel Yanguas followed with a hard-fought win against F Jurado and A Ayats to secure a 6-4, 7-5 result. Finally, Francisco Navarro and Jorge Sanz completed the sweep, blanking F al-Janahi and M al-Janahi with a quick 6-0, 6-0 win in just 33 minutes. Argentina also followed in a similar fashion in Group A. In the opening match, Agustin Tapia and Federico Chingotto set the tone with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 win over M Segura and S Castaneda Rubio. C D Gutierrez and L Augsburger continued Argentina’s winning streak with a 6-3, 6-3 win against V Di Francesco and N Agritelley. V G Libaak and A Chozas defeated R Ruiz Alvarez and W Agritelley 6-1, 6-3 to complete the sweep. In Group C, France’s men’s team was too good for Qatar in their second match of the Championships. Jeremy Bergeron and Thomas Vanbauce overcame Abdulla Alhijji and Mohammed Abdulla 6-0, 6-1 in 51 minutes in Game 1. Maxime Joris and Bastien Blanque followed up with an impressive 6-1, 6-1 performance over Mohamed al-Khanji and Mohamed Saadon al-Kuwari, before Thomas Leygue and Theo Fonteny took down Ahmed Hassan and Jabor al-Mutawa with a score of 6-0, 6-1 in 36 minutes. In other key encounters of the day, Brazil beat Netherlands 3-0 while Chile won 2-1 against Uruguay. On the women’s side too, Spain and Argentina continued their winning streaks to jump to the top of their respective groups, while Italy and France also remain unbeaten. Yesterday morning, France beat the Netherlands 3-0, Belgium defeated Denmark 3-0, Sweden overcame Uruguay 3-0, and Italy won 3-0 against Japan. Portugal also made a clean sweep against USA, while Brazil fought back to beat Germany 2-1.

Sheikh Joaan attends ANOC Executive Council Meeting

Cascais –His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, Senior Vice President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), attended  the 90th ANOC Executive Council meeting held in Cascais, Portugal on Tuesday. The meeting, chaired by Dr. Robin Mitchell, President of the ANOC, was attended by Dr. Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee.  During the meeting, discussions focused on some key topics including the ANOC strategic plan and the reports of the continental federations and the ANOC standing committees on their latest programs and initiatives.  

Team Qatar to participate in Arab Volleyball Championship

Doha: The Qatari Volleyball Team participate in the 23rd Arab Men's Championship, which kicks off on Wednesday, in Bahrain.  Eight Arab teams are participating in the tournament, divided into two groups. The first group includes the teams of the Sultanate of Oman, Iraq, Tunisia and Bahrain, while the second group includes Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

World Taekwondo President Visits Guests of Qatar from Palestine Compound

Doha – Dr. Chungwon Choue, President of World Taekwondo and Chair of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), visited the Guests of Qatar from Palestine compound in Doha on Monday. This visit, a part of ongoing humanitarian efforts, focused on strengthening collaboration between the THF and key national stakeholders involved in sport and social development initiatives at the compound. Dr. Choue participated in sports activity organized by the Qatar Taekwondo, Judo, and Karate Federation. This activity, held in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Family, engaged the compound residents and highlighted the role of sport in building community resilience and unity. In addition to these activities, Dr. Choue met with Mr. Mohammed Al-Khanji, a consultant at Qatar Social Work, and representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF) and the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC). The discussions centered on opportunities for future cooperation, including plans to introduce targeted taekwondo programs that benefit residents of the compound. Both the QOC and the THF are active members of the Sport for Refugees Coalition and contributors to the Global Compact on Refugees, reflecting their shared commitment to sport as a powerful force for positive change. Earlier this year, Dr. Choue attended the Olympic Refuge Foundation’s annual Board Meeting in Doha, where he expressed interest in developing collaborative projects between THF and national stakeholders.  Dr. Choue’s visit underscores sport’s central role in promoting sustainable development, fostering peace, and instilling values of tolerance and mutual respect within communities. As a global sports capital, Doha continues to lead efforts in using sport as a platform for social impact, skill development, and strengthening human connections. This mission aligns with the Qatar Olympic Committee’s vision: “To Become a Leading Nation in Bringing the World Together Through Sustainable Sport Development.”  

FIP World Padel Championships begin

Doha: The 2024 FIP World Padel Championships – Qatar 2024 began at the Khalifa international Tennis and Squash Complex on Monday. Spain, last tournament's runners-up, convincingly defeated Mexico in their Men's Group B match, while reigning champions Argentina defeated  Italy in Group A. Spain's dominant performance led to a resounding 3-0 victory, showcasing some of the world's top-ranked padel stars. In the first match at Grand Stand 2, World No. 5 Juan Lebron and No. 9 Miguel Yanguas quickly took control, overpowering Arredondo Garcia and Barrientos Garcia with a score of 6-1, 6-1 in just 35 minutes. World No. 1 Arturo Coello and No. 8 Francisco Navarro followed suit, delivering a stunning 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Amora Hernandez and J Hazouri Celorio, solidifying Spain's status as tournament favorites. The clean sweep was completed by Alejandro Galan, ranked No. 3, and Alejandro Ruiz, who secured a 6-1, 6-0 win against M Montano and J Rangel. Meanwhile, at Grand Stand 1, Argentina also recorded a clean sweep against Italy. In their opening Group A match, the Argentine duo showcased their prowess, with top pair Agustin Tapia (No. 2 in the world) and Federico Chingotto (No. 4) defeating A Patiniotis and L Di Giovanni 6-3, 7-5, despite a strong challenge from their Italian opponents. Franco Hernan Stupaczuk (No. 7) and Valentino Gabriel Libaak continued the momentum with a quick 6-1, 6-0 victory over R Sinicropi and G Graziotti, giving Argentina a 2-0 lead. Martin Emiliano Di Nenno (No. 6) and Leandro Roman Augsburger sealed the deal for Argentina, beating S. Cremona and M. Cassetta with a score of 6-4, 7-5. On the women’s side, France defeated Denmark 3-0, Netherlands won 2-1 against Belgium, Sweden overcame Japan 3-0, Portugal beat Egypt 3-0 and Germany secured a 2-1 win over Chile. Title favourites Argentina and Spain secured dominant 3-0 wins against USA and Brazil respectively.  

Team Qatar lose to Japan in AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers

Doha: Japan cruised to the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2025 Finals after defeating Qatar 5-0 in their Qualifiers Group F tie on Sunday. Japan finished with a perfect tally of nine points and they will head to the Finals seeking a fifth title. Mongolia, meanwhile, left it late to snatch a 1-0 win over Nepal to end their campaign on a high. Both teams came into the tie level on six points, having secured wins over Mongolia and Nepal. Four-time champions Japan took the lead in the third minute through Daichi Tani and the floodgates opened after the break with Tani doubling his tally in the 52nd minute. image content Seifeldin Hassanein conceded an own goal three minutes later with Taiga Seguchi netting Japan’s fourth in the 68th minute. Hiroto Asada completed the impressive display with his 86th minute effort.