QOC Secretary General meets with FIVB General Director

Doha-The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Secretary General H.E. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain met today with the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) General Director Mr. Fabio Azevedo who is currently visiting the country. The meeting reviewed aspects of sports cooperation and ways to enhance and develop them in the upcoming stage. The meeting was attended by the Qatar Volleyball Association President Mr. Ali Ghanim Al Kuwari and Director of the QOC Marketing and International Cooperation Sector Sheikha Asma Al Thani.  

Curtain comes down on Doha Elite 16

Doha: Stefan Boermans & Yorick de Groot upset big names (some even twice) to snatch the first men’s Elite16 gold of the season at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour stop in Doha and made a clear statement that they are ready to catch up with their Dutch compatriots and put up a fight in the race for their country’s two available tickets to the Olympic Games in Paris. Brazil’s Barbara Seixas & Carol Solberg grabbed the Doha trophy in the women’s tournament. Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson and Sara Hughes & Kelly Cheng of the United States completed the women’s podium, while David Ahman & Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden and Anders Mol & Christian Sorum of Norway took silver and bronze, respectively, to climb the men’s podium.   The men’s gold medal match was a speedy one-sided affair. Sixth-seeded Boermans & De Groot hammered out a 2-0 (21-11, 21-10) shutout of the tournament’s top seeds Ahman & Hellvig. Boermans completely owned the net with nine kill blocks to finish with a match-high 17 points, including the match winner, which he spiked off of his own block reflection. Boermans & De Groot pocketed their first Beach Pro Tour gold as a pair. Out of their previous 10 appearances, they had one silver and one bronze. The 22-year-old Swedish jump-setters have not missed a final in already six consecutive major tournament participations and now their medal count on the Beach Pro Tour amounts to six golds, three silvers and one bronze. “It feels incredible! To start the Olympic season with this result is really big for us,” De Groot told Volleyball World after the final. “This tournament is a dream come true,” said Boermans. “This first place means so much. It means that we get a lot of points and cut the distance to our countrymen competitors, so it’s looking good for us now. We are not there yet, because we still need the 12 results obviously, but this helps so much. It’s a huge relief after all the hard work we’ve put in and the injuries we’ve had. It’s amazing to pull this off...” Third-seeded Mol & Sorum made sure to get on the podium with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) victory over eighth-seeded Germans in the bronze medal game. Mol’s blocking made the big difference in the tight match. The Norwegian delivered as many as eight kill blocks towards an 18-point match high. The Beachvolley Vikings added the fourth bronze to their impressive Beach Pro Tour collection, which also features eight gold and four silver medals. In the semifinals, Boermans & De Groot defeated the Olympic champions for the second time in this tournament, battling it out for a 2-0 (21-16, 22-20) shutout, while Ahman & Hellvig also beat Ehlers & Wickler for the second time this week, coming back from a set down to claim a 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 15-13) win. Melissa & Brandie knocked out two powerful Brazilian pairs on the way to the final, but stopped short of beating a third one in the gold medal showdown. Seventh-seeded Barbara & Carol showed a solid performance against the fourth-seeded Canadians and mastered a 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) shutout to lift the trophy in the Qatari capital. Despite Melissa & Brandie’s more prolific spiking, the South Americans capitalized on better blocking and serving efforts and, most of all, on the opponents’ unforced errors to pick up their sixth gold and overall 11th medal on the Beach Pro Tour. It was, however, their first triumph at the Elite16 level. “It feels amazing! I feel so happy!” exclaimed Barbara right after the match. “We are really proud of the work our team has been doing. We are training hard and preparing ourselves in every way we can, so we can evolve and bring the best volleyball that we can. Carol and I have a great energy together.” “Barbara has been amazing. I have so much pleasure playing together with her. Our chemistry on the court is something that’s so special. We play volleyball, because we love to feel this energy, when we are on the court. It makes all the hard work that we do so worth it!” Carol added. Barbara led the winners with 16 points, including two aces, in the final, while Brandie produced a match-high 17 points for the Canadian duo. Melissa & Brandie collected their first silver on the Tour. They also have two golds and a bronze on record. In the women’s bronze medal match, third-seeded Hughes & Cheng outspiked Latvia’s Anastasija Samoilova & Tina Graudina on the way to a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) sweep, with Cheng on fire at the net with 23 kills in attack and two kill blocks, and from the serving line with two aces towards a fantastic match high of 27 points. For the reigning world champions, the Doha bronze was the pair’s first ever on the Beach Pro Tour. They also have five golds and a silver on their record. The Latvians had cruised undefeated from the qualifiers to the semifinals, but the last competition day in Doha kind of spoiled Tina’s 26th birthday. Earlier in the day, they also lost their semifinal game. Melissa & Brandie got back at Anastasija & Tina for the defeat in the pool stage and claimed a 2-1 (21-17, 20-22, 15-12) victory to move on to the final. The other semifinal was also resolved in a tie-breaker, with Carol & Barbara celebrating a 2-1 (21-11, 17-21, 15-12) win over the world champs.  

Qatar Hosts FIBA Delegation for 2027 Basketball World Cup Planning

DOHA: The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Local Organizing Committee (FBWC 2027 LOC) welcomed a delegation from the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) for two days of strategic discussions regarding the upcoming 2027 Basketball World Cup. The discussions focused on establishing a lasting legacy beyond 2027 through collaboration with various national stakeholders. Key areas of focus included youth development, technical capacity building, promoting the sport's culture, and addressing United Nations Sustainability Development Goals through basketball initiatives. Representatives from Qatar Foundation (QF), Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum (QOSM), Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar School Sports Association (QSSA), Qatar Tourism, and Generation Amazing (GA) participated in these discussions. Furthermore, the event’s marketing strategy was addressed, prioritizing broad visibility, digital engagement, and strategic partnerships to ensure a memorable, engaging, and inclusive 2027 World Cup. The FIBA delegation concluded their visit by conducting technical visits to competition venues and inspection visits to official hotels. Qatar's selection as the host of the men's 2027 World Cup was announced during the FIBA Central Board meeting on April 28, 2023, in Manila. Qatar's bid stood out, making it the most prominent choice for the event.  The 2027 edition will mark the first time the tournament is held in the Middle East and North Africa region and will be the third consecutive World Cup held in Asia, following the 2019 edition in China and the 2023 edition in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.

Ooredoo Qatar Major concludes in Doha after Thrilling finals

The final act of the Ooredoo Qatar Major, the first Major of the season, was in the sign of the favourite pairs on the eve of the event, who dominated the finals – against Mike Yanguas and Javi Garrido and Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez respectively – and won a well-deserved triumph: Coello (already sure to return to number 1 in the FIP ranking) and Tapia, winners of four Premier Padel tournaments last year, celebrate their first success of 2024 in Doha at the end of a perfect week, while Ari and Paula grant an encore after their success a week ago in Riyadh.   Coello and Tapia were immediately dominant and the first set flew away in 19 minutes with a peremptory 6-0, the result of 13 wins and an ‘Arturito’ on fire. Yanguas and Garrido (number 10 in the seedings), disoriented, would have the chance to win the first game of the second set, but the number 2 pair on the draw doesn’t give discounts and immediately finds the break. The Spanish pair, born at the beginning of the year and protagonists of a great tournament enriched by the success in the eighth round over Ale Galan and Juan Lebron and in the semifinals over Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno, managed to win two games to the applause of the fans, but could not contain the overpowering opponents despite cancelling a matchpoint: it ended 6-0, 6-2 in 54 minutes.   “A day I will always remember”, says Coello, who celebrates his 22nd birthday today. “I was able to spend my birthday not in Spain with my loved ones, but the emotions were still so many, an incredible tournament. As incredible as it is to have had the chance to win today on such a special day, I have to thank Agustin and all the team who accompanied me, I hope next year’s will be as good a tournament as this one. And I also want Agustin to become number 1 like me”. Tapia is also over the moon, and with the whole crowd he celebrates by singing to his very strong partner. “Thanks to the people who braved the rain”, said, “congratulations to our opponents Mike and Javi for their tournament: it’s Arturo’s birthday but he gave me the present, it was a perfect week. We will always remember it and take it with us into the next tournament”. The majors confirmed themselves as Ari and Paula’s “home”. After winning last season in Paris and stopping in the final in Rome, the two Spanish champions legitimised their status as favourites and triumphed in Qatar as well, continuing their success at P1 in Riyadh. In the final, the new pair formed by Gemma Triay and the 18-year-old Claudia Fernandez was forced to surrender in two sets, but can nevertheless be more than satisfied with a truly positive debut. There was more balance in the first game, with many breaks and good play on both sides: Ari and Paula placed the decisive break at 4-3, managing to close 6-3. In the second set, the world number 1s imposed class and experience: there was balance only in the opening set, then Ari and Paula posted six games and three consecutive breaks, closing 6-1 for a total of one hour and 37 minutes. “I feel euphoric, at the beginning of the season you never know how the first tournaments are going to go and how you are going to play, but the fact that we won gives us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season”, Paula said after the success. “We won some very difficult matches, against great opponents: Gemma we already know, congratulations to Claudia because she is the newcomer at this level. I think I speak for the team when I say that we are happy, happy and proud, we won fighting: thank you all, thank you Doha, it was a pleasure. I hope the fans enjoyed it!”. Ari Sánchez is a portrait of fatigue but also of satisfaction. “I’m super happy, I have no words”, he admits, “Here there were completely different conditions from Riyadh, I want to congratulate Gemma and Claudia because they were at their first tournament together and they did really well. I think we played a great game today, playing focused, we chose the best way to start”.  

Yanguas-Garrido and Triay-Fernandez qualify to Ooredoo Qatar Major finals

Doha: Mike Yanguas and Javi Garrido's magical week is not over yet. After having eliminated Juan Lebron and Ale Galan in the round of 16, the Spaniards – number 10 on the draw – achieved their second masterpiece in the space of three days, beating also the number 3 of the Ooredoo Qatar Major in Doha, the 'Superpibes' Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno (3) who will therefore not be able to defend the title they won last year in Qatar.  It ended 6-2 7-6 in one hour and 41 minutes, with Yanguas and Garrido dominating in the first set – with Javi's smashes delighting the Doha crowd – and also able to withstand the comeback of the Argentines: Stupaczuk and Di Nenno, however, paid the price for too many errors, even in the key points, giving way to Yanguas/Garrido, who tomorrow will be able to play for the title of the first Major of the year against Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia (2), who in the other semifinal beat Paquito Navarro and Sanyo Gutierrez 6-0 6-4.  It was a domination, that of ‘Arturito’ and the Argentine, which made things clear from the very first games: the adventure in Doha ends for the number 4, who after starting the season with a defeat in Riyadh, however, gave the impression of being on the rise. Coello, on the other hand, with this victory is already sure to return to the top of the FIP ranking from Monday, after being overtaken by Lebron and Galan victorious in the Riyadh Season P1. WOMEN In the women's draw, on the other hand, Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez are hunting for a double. The world number 1s needed three sets and to come back from the first, but in the end they managed to beat 4-6 6-2 6-4 Marta Ortega and Veronica Virseda (4), who thus end their first tournament played together in the semifinals.  Challenging Josemaria/Sanchez and trying to prevent the Spaniards from making it a back-to-back after the Riyadh Season P1 will be another new pair, that of Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez (3). In a match that lasted an hour and 59 minutes, Triay and the 18-year-old (almost in tears after closing out the match) beat Alejandra Salazar and Tamara Icardo 7-5 6- 4: a match that Triay/Fernandez had started very well (double break in the first set) before the comeback of Salazar/Icardo. Despite a small physical problem in the second set, which forced Fernandez to ask for a medical time out, Triay took the pair on her shoulders and tomorrow she will go in search of her second title in the Premier Padel circuit after the one she won in Rome, at the Foro Italico, paired with Marta Ortega. Today is the most awaited day at the Khalifa International Tennis&Squash Complex: the finals will start at 5pm local time (3pm CET), first Josemaria/Sanchez against Triay/Fernandez, then Yanguas/Garrido against Coello/Tapia.

Qatar’s Younousse and Tijan advance in 2024 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour

Doha: Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan defeated Poland’s Michal Bryl and Bartosz Losiak 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 15-10) in their last Pool D match of the 2024 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour at the Al Gharafa Beach Court on Thursday.  With the victory, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallists have qualified for the round of 12 in the Elite 16 event on the tour. The former world No.1 pair had also defeated USA’s Chase Budinger and Miles Evans on Wednesday following an opening loss to Italy’s Cottafava Samuele and Nicolai Paolo.