Curtain comes down on IWF Qatar Cup

Doha: The curtain fell on the Qatar Cup IWF Grand Prix II at Aspire Zone yesterday with Armenia claiming all three gold medals in a dramatic finale. The women’s gym at Aspire Zone Foundation witnessed the culmination of fierce competition from 402 lifters representing over 100 nations. The Doha event was an Olympic Games 2024 qualifying tournament. Supported by sponsors like Aspire Zone Foundation and Ooredoo, the tournament showcased the pinnacle of weightlifting, with Armenia ultimately rising above the rest and securing their Olympic dreams. Armenia had a 1-2 finish in the men’s +109kg event when Varazdat Lalayan finished ahead of Simon Martirosyan. Lalayan, second in the rankings on 462kg, made 200-241-441 and Martirosyan declined his final attempt after making 190-240-430. Third-placed Eduard Ziaziulin posted 193-225-418. In the women’s Mary Theisen Lappen of the US celebrated winning the gold in the 87kg competition on the final day of the Qatar Cup IWF Grand Prix II yesterday. Theisen Lappen made a career-best total of 120-163-283. Duangaksorn Chaidee from Thailand (121-152-273 ) and Iuniarra Sipaia of Samoa finished second and third respectively (109-153-262). Lappen, 33, has competed in Colombia, Argentina, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Qatar since last December. “This has been a crazy long year,” Theisen Lappen said. “At the start of it I was excited about travelling to international competitions. Now I’m dreading the 17-hour flight home and looking forward to not travelling. “I haven’t had any time off the whole year, none. Now with this result I can take a break for Christmas. I’m going to my parents home where I can spend some time just hanging out without lifting. I’ll be back in the gym on December 27th. “My aim at the start of 2023 was to be where I am now. I feel super strong but there’s been plenty to work on with technique. I have a good coach (Wil Fleming) to help with that,” Theisen Lappen added. During the closing ceremony of the Qatar Cup and IWF Grand Prix, Mohamed bin Youssef al-Mana, First Vice-President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, applauded the vital role played by Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi, CEO of the Aspire Zone Foundation. He commended al-Suwaidi’s dedication and leadership in fostering weightlifting excellence in Qatar and beyond. Nine Olympic gold medallists, nine current world champions and 13 world record holders featured in various weight categories over the course of the last 10 days. President of IWF Jalood extended his thanks and appreciation to the Qatar Weightlifting Federation and to the staffers in the LOC for putting things together for the 10-day champion  

QOC signs Joint Sport Pledge on Inclusion and Protection of Refugees

The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) today signed the Joint Sport Pledge on Inclusion and Protection of Refugees (“the Sport Pledge”) as it reinforces its commitment to supporting refugees through sport.  The Sport Pledge was announced at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, and brings together sports organisations and other entities committed to creating a better world for refugees.  As a founding partner of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF), the QOC has long demonstrated its belief in the role sport can play in inspiring hope and affecting positive change. As a signatory of the Sport Pledge, the QOC commits to: 1.    Promote an enabling environment, including policy, that delivers access to safe sport.  2.    Promote and provide opportunities for enhanced skills and pathway in and through sport. 3.    Use targets communication, evidence, and advocacy.  4.    Strengthen partnerships and coordination efforts. QOC President and ORF Board Member, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani said: “The QOC believes strongly that everyone should have access to safe sport and the countless benefits it brings. Sport can transform lives, unify people and bring hope to communities who need it most. Through its common language, it helps break down social and cultural barriers, creating a more inclusive and tolerant society.  “The QOC is proud of the work we have done in supporting refugees through sport, and by signing the Sport Pledge we are joining organizations around the world in strengthening our commitment to do even more. Not only are we committed to supporting concrete initiatives but also using our platform to advocate for more to be done to answer the needs of the millions of refugees around the world.”  In its role with the ORF, the QOC hosted the Olympic Refugee Team ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, providing the athletes with an elite training camp. The QOC also continues to provide support to the Afghanistan sports community and helps to facilitate dialogue between the IOC and Afghanistan.  The outcome of the project Shine, a legacy of Rio 2016, also provided opportunities for underprivileged young athletes from across Rio de Janeiro to train at Qatar’s world-class facilities at the Aspire Academy, with specialised coaching and sports science support.  The Global Refugee Forum (GRF) is the world’s largest international gathering in support of refugees and the communities that host them. It brings together governments, international organizations, humanitarian and development organizations, international and regional financial institutions, regional organizations; local authorities; civil society; academics and other experts; the private sector, media, host community members, sport organizations and refugees themselves to discuss how to address the increasing challenges impacting refugees and the communities that host them.  

Qatar’s Fares wins 2 golds and 1 bronze in 102kg, gets a big move up Paris 2024 Olympics rankings

DOHA - Qatar’s Fares Ibrahim won in his home country at the Qatar Cup IWF Grand Prix – Doha 2023 on Tuesday, totalling 400kgs for the first time since winning the Olympic gold in Tokyo. He defeated the Chinese leader in the Paris 2024 rankings in the men’s 102kg, which wasn’t bad for a night’s work, but he said he wanted more. The 25-year-old ended up with two gold medals (for total weight lift and clean & jerk) and a bronze in snatch event. At the Ladies Hall of Aspire, Fares went for a world record clean and jerk of 232kg but like all the other seven athletes, he too failed in his final attempt. Fares later said, “I’m feeling OK but I could have done better, I wanted the world record. The joy of winning and of hitting that 400 just made me take it too easy. “I’ve been training hard for two months, working harder than I can remember for this. It was good for a comeback. I’m in my home country and it had to be done, I couldn’t have lost here. Now I’m going to go for a nice steak. “Hopefully at the Asian Championships or in Thailand (the last two qualifiers in February and April) I’ll get that world record and a much bigger total than this.” Fares made 176-224-400, improving his best qualifying total by 9kg and moving up four places to second in the rankings. As usual, he changed his uniform during the interval, this time from the maroon and white colours of Qatar in snatch to blue for clean and jerk. “It’s my thing,” he said. “Next time I’m going to go for something bright, something noisy – maybe purple.” Liu Huanhua, who leads the rankings on 404kg, made 176-222-398 after missing two attempts. Garik Karapetyan from Armenia followed up his junior world title three weeks ago with a third-place finish in Doha on 180-211-391 but made no gain in the rankings. Two others who would have improved their ranking but for failing with their final lift were Yauheni Tsikhantsou and Don Opeloge. Tsikhantsou, the Individual Neutral Athlete from Belarus, was fifth on 177-210-387. Clean and jerk bronze medallist Opeloge, from Samoa, was sixth on 170-216-386, equalling his best qualifying total. Tudor Bratu made a huge jump up the rankings in the B Group with a six-from-six 175-215-390. The Moldovan started the day in 24th place and ended it in the top ten, finishing fourth on total. “I’ve had a back injury and a heel injury this year, and I wasn’t properly fit,” said Bratu. “A lot of electro massage helped me to recover and I was able to prepare properly for two months for this. I also felt good mentally, and the lifts kept coming. I’m very happy with that.” There were world records for China and Japan in the women’s 81kg, in which Liang Xiaomei extended her lead at the top of the rankings. Her 123-161-284, which would place her fifth in the super-heavyweight list for Paris, leaves Liang 16kg clear of second-placed Sara Samir from Egypt, who along with other contenders Solfrid Koanda from Norway and Tamara Salazar from Ecuador, did not compete here. Liang, 26, retired after her fifth good lift had given her victory and world records in clean and jerk and total. Liang’s team-mate Wang Zhouyu, the 87kg Olympic champion, was beaten into second place once again. Wang failed with a world record clean and jerk attempt on 160kg and finished 120-148-268. Eileen Cikamatana from Australia was a popular, and noisy, bronze medallist. After opening at a career high 112kg in snatch, Cikamatana whistled, stamped and screamed her way to three good lifts for 112-149-261, a gain of 1kg on her best total in qualifying. Her trademark whistle before she makes a lift, in the warm-up room and on the platform, makes Cikamatana stand out from the crowd. After Cikamatana had visited every platform in the warm-up room to congratulate all her fellow competitors at the end of the session, which led to a few “selfie with Eileen” photos being taken, one of the medal presenters asked for tips on how to whistle. One of Australia’s younger lifters has perfected the art. Teenager Taj Marsh sounded just like Cikamatana when he lifted at the World Juniors in Mexico last month. “I didn’t teach Taj, he saw me on a video and copied it,” said Cikamatana. The Japanese teenager Wakana Nagashima set two youth world records at the Asian Championships in Korea in May on her international debut. Today she bettered her own total record despite missing her final attempt. Nagashima, 17, whose mother lifted at the World Championships in 1998 under her pre-marriage name of Hiromi Fujiwara, finished 105-131-236. Aremi Fuentes, an Olympic bronze medallist in Tokyo, fell further behind in the Paris lists when she made a lower ranking total of 224kg, which was 2kg lower than her best and 12kg shy of team-mate Lizbeth Nolasco, who finished fifth on 236kg. Weronika Zielinska from Poland was all set for a big gain but missed her last two attempts and her 239kg total was up only 2kg, about 10kg short of what she is likely to need to make the top ten.  

Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad honors graduates of the Advanced Diploma in Sports Institution Management

Doha, Qatar, December 12, 2023 - Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Olympic Academy, today honored the graduates of the Advanced Diploma in Sports Institution and Olympic Management for the 2022 and 2023 cohorts. The graduation ceremony, which was held at the Lusail Hall at the headquarters of the Qatar Olympic Committee, was attended by HE Mr. Mohamed bin Youssef Al Mannai, First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, HE Mr. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Olympic Academy, in addition to Qatar Olympic Committee leadership. On the sidelines of the graduation ceremony, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani also launched the new website of the Qatar Olympic Academy with a new look and identity. The Advanced Diploma in Sports Institution and Olympic Management program is one of the most important annual programs of the Qatar Olympic Academy. It was first launched in 2008 when the Qatar Olympic Committee, represented by the Qatar Olympic Academy, launched it to be among the first twenty Olympic committees in the world and the first Gulf and Arab Olympic committee to implement this program, which has exceeded 500 graduates since its inception, from inside and outside Qatar.  

QAF recognized for Doha being top host city of Diamond League 2023

DOHA - The Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) was awarded at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on Monday evening for best organization for Diamond League 2023 season from among 14 host cities of the athletics meeting series. Qatar Athletics Federation announced on its official account on “X” about Doha and QAF having being recognized at the annual awards event in Monaco. “The distinction of the Doha Diamond League Round and its achievement of first place came after it met all the standards for organization and other logistical matters in addition to the media and spectator facilities,” it said. The Wanda Diamond League is athletics’ premier one-day series. The competition encompasses 15 of the sport’s most prestigious one-day meetings, with men and women competing in 16 of its primary disciplines.  Athletes compete for points at 14 series meetings from May to September, The Doha Diamond League 2023 round was held on May 5, 2023 at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium and saw the participation of 180 male and female athletes representing 80 countries. The Qatar Athletics Federation applied the highest standards of quality and sustainability for the opening leg of the Wanda Diamond League series in Doha implementing sustainable management methods and providing accessible infrastructure and services for fans with disabilities. The season-opening Doha leg achieved a distinguished organizational and technical success while also witnessing eight new records in the 100m hurdles, 3000m steeplechase, 1,500m, pole vault (women), 800m, and the men’s javelin throw events. A large audience of 12,000 attended the more than 3 hours-long series opener. Mohammed Issa Al Fadala, President of the Qatar Athletics Federation, expressed his delight at QAF winning the award for the best organization of the Diamond League 2023 among all in the world. Al Fadala said, “This exceptional tour, which also witnessed QAF obtaining the ISO certification last May for a sustainable event management system, confirms the excellence of Qatar in organizing international sports events. He added: “We are proud of this new achievement which is an international recognition for the efforts made by Qatar in organizing events by focusing and ensuring the highest international standards in planning, management and legacy.” While Doha hosted the 2023 Diamond League opener, the final leg was held in Eugene (USA). The other legs were held in Rabat (Morocco), Rome (Italy), Paris (France), Oslo (Norway), Lausanne (Switzerland), Stockholm (Sweden), Silesia (Poland), Monaco, London (Britain), Shanghai and Shenzhen (China), Zurich (Switzerland) and Brussels (Belgium). Kipyegon, Duplantis and Rojas named World Athletes of the Year , Meanwhile, three 2023 Wanda Diamond League champions - Faith Kipyegon, Mondo Duplantis and Yulimar Rojas - were crowned World Athletes of the Year at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco. Kipyegon, Duplantis and Rojas all added another Diamond Trophy to their growing collection in 2023, while Kipyegon and Duplantis also broke world records in their chosen disciplines. Kenyan distance legend Kipyegon made Wanda Diamond League history in mid-season when she broke three different world records in the space of just six weeks. After breaking the 1500m world record with 3:49.11 in Florence, Kipyegon went on to clock 14:05.20 in the 5000m in Paris and 4:07.64 in the mile in Monaco. The performances made her the first athlete ever to break more than one world record in a single Diamond League season. Kipyegon cruised to a comfortable 1500m victory at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene to claim her the fourth Diamond League title of her career and round off a breathtaking season. Swedish pole vault star Duplantis also broke a world record, clearing 6.23m at the first attempt at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene. Venezuelan triple jump ace Yulimar Rojas also claimed her third Diamond Trophy in 2023, winning four of the six Diamond League competitions and wrapping up the title comfortably with a world lead of 15.35m in Eugene.  

Al Tamimi reaches QSF 5 quarterfinals

Doha: Qatar’s Abdullah Al Tamimi saw off France’s Macéo Levy 3-0 to reach the quarter-finals the QSF 5 in Doha yesterday.  Finnlay Withington upset No.7 seed Rui Soares to reach his first 30k quarter final. The 19-year-old needed just three games and 33 minutes to knock out the experienced Portuguese player, winning 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 to set up a last-eight matchup with Juan Camilo Vargas.  Vargas will come into that match on the back of a comeback win over James Peach, who held a 2-1 lead before the Colombian turned things around, dominating the last two games by dropping only four points.  Egypt’s El Hammamy came through a tricky test against former World No.1 James Willstrop, winning 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 in 41 minutes.  Fellow Egyptians Seif El-Shenawy and Aly Hussein also progressed, albeit in contrasting styles. El-Shenawy beat the in-form Bernat Jaume 3-2 in just shy of an hour, while Hussein was on court for just 24 minutes before his opponent Lucas Serme retired.  English duo Simon Herbert and George Parker are also into the last eight after beating Declan James and Ivan Perez Saavedra respectively.  Herbert overturned a one-game deficit to down compatriot James 3-1, before Parker knocked out the Spaniard 3-0 in the following match.  The pair will meet in the semi-finals should both win in the quarter-finals, though Herbert will have to upset the odds to do so, with Altamimi standing in his way.