Team Qatar to take on South Korea in Asian Volleyball Challenge Cup on Monday

Manama, (QNA) - The Qatari national volleyball team will kick off their journey in the Asian Volleyball Challenge Cup on Monday, facing off against South Korea in a Group C match. The tournament is currently being held in Bahrain and will run until June 10. Qatar aim to secure a positive result in their opening match, which would provide a significant morale boost for the team's campaign in this continental tournament. The Asian Volleyball Challenge Cup also serves as a qualifier for the World Volleyball Challenge Cup, where the Qatari team finished as runners-up last year when Doha hosted the event. Led by Argentine head coach Camilo Soto, the Qatari squad comprises 14 players: Youssef Iglaf, Renan Ribeiro, Mubarak Dhahi, Papy Majeed, Ibrahim Saeed, Boby, Ahmed Abdulwahab, Bilal Nabil, Andrea Luiz, Mohammed Al-Waleed, Naji Mahmoud, Nikola, Ghanem Al-Rumaihi, Rahimi, and Didi. Qatar is placed in Group C along with South Korea and Indonesia. Group A consists of Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan; Group B includes Bahrain, the Philippines, and China; and Group D features Vietnam, Australia, and Chinese Taipei.   

Team Qatar to participate in Asian Volleyball Challenge Cup

Doha: Qatar’s Volleyball Team will participate in the fifth edition of the Asian Men’s Volleyball Challenge Cup to begin in Manama, Bahrain on Sunday.  Organised by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), the competition featuring the top 12 teams of the continent will be played from June 2 to 9. Team winning the tournament will qualify for the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Challenger Cup scheduled to take place in China from July 4 to 7. Qatar are placed in Pool C, facing South Korea and Indonesia in the group stage. They will open their campaign against South Korea on June 3 before meeting Indonesia the following day.  

Almasoud wins QSF 4 title

Doha: Kuwaiti veteran Mohammad Almasoud claimed his maiden PSA Tour title, beating Yousef Essam Farag in the QSF 4 PSA final.  17 years separate the two players in age, with 36-year-old Almasoud hoping to deny the 19-year-old a title on home soil, but he fell behind early after losing game one 11-7.  The No.5 seed drew level by winning the second but soon found himself on the back foot once more, losing the third 11-6 to give home favourite Farag a glimpse of glory.  But a glimpse would be all he would get, as Almasoud took the next two games 11-7, 11-6 to get his hands on the trophy, his first on the PSA Challenger Tour.

Team Qatar athletes shine at West Asian Athletics Championships

Basrah: Qatar's athletics team increased their medal tally at the West Asian Athletics Championships running in Basrah, Iraq, to 9 medals, after winning one gold medal and one bronze medal on Saturday. Ashraf Al Saifi claimed Qatar's gold medal in the hammer throw competition achieving 72.80m, while his teammate Ahmed Al Saifi took the bronze medal in the same competition recording 68.62m.   

Sheikh Joaan Crowns Al Duhail Handball Emir Cup Champions

Doha- His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, crowned Al Duhail champions of the Emir Cup Handball for the (2023/2024) sports season after defeating Al Arabi 27/25 in the final match held today at Al Duhail Sports Hall. His Excellency presented the championship trophy and gold medals to Al Duhail (champions), and silver medals to Al Arabi (runners-up). The match was attended by Mr. Badr Diab, Vice President of the International Handball Federation, Mr. Ahmed Al Shaabi, President of the Qatar Handball Federation, and a number of sports leaders.  

Draw held for 2025 IHF Men's World Championship

Doha: The Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, Croatia, was the venue for the glitzy draw of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, where the 32 participating teams learnt their fate for the preliminary round of the 29th edition of the world handball flagship competition. The 32 sides, which were divided into four pots of eight teams each, were drawn starting from Pot 4 to Pot 1, with eight groups set for the preliminary round of the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, as the top three teams in each group progress to the main round. Co-hosts Croatia had their coach, Dagur Sigurdsson draw their opponent from Pot 1, while goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanovic assigned the teams in the draw from Pot 4 and the co-hosts will face Egypt, Argentina and Bahrain in the preliminary round in Group H, in Zagreb. “I am not sure about luck, both Egypt and France were tough opponents from the first pot. We played Argentina a few weeks ago, I know Bahrain from my previous job as the Japan national team head coach, therefore I think it will be a tough group,” said Croatia’s coach, Dagur Sigurdsson. Eight teams had been previously been assigned according to the 1.3.2 article of the Regulations for IHF Competitions, in the case of more than one (1) host nation, the organiser shall assign one (1) team per group, which had previously been assigned to a city, including the teams of the host nations. Reigning champions and co-hosts Denmark, who were represented on stage by Morten Stig Christiansen, a former international, will be playing in Group B, in Herning, alongside Italy, Algeria and Tunisia, while the other co-hosts, Norway are headlining Group E, in Baerum, Oslo, where they face Portugal, Brazil and the United States of America. Left wing Alexander Blonz also helped in the draw, selecting the teams from Pot 3. Undoubtedly, the group which will be the most balanced is Group A, where four European teams will face off for a place in the main round, as Germany, Czechia, Poland and wild card Switzerland are due to face off in a battle for the ages. Another tough group will be the one in Baerum, Oslo, where Sweden meet Spain, Japan and Chile, in a battle of different styles. Runners-up from the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship and reigning Olympic champions, France, have been drawn in Group C, alongside Austria, Qatar and Kuwait and will play in Porec. Another tough group looks to be D, in Varazdin, with three European teams – Hungary, the Netherlands and North Macedonia – are facing debutants Guinea, the only team which will make their debut at the IHF Men’s World Championship in this edition. Group A: Germany, Czechia, Poland, Switzerland Group B: Denmark, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia Group C: France, Austria, Qatar, Kuwait Group D: Hungary, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Guinea Group E: Norway, Portugal, Brazil, United States of America Group F: Sweden, Spain, Japan, Chile Group G: Slovenia, Iceland, Cuba, Cape Verde Group H: Egypt, Croatia, Argentina, Bahrain