Cherif and Ahmed in strong form ahead of Montréal quarterfinals

Montréal: Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan advanced to the elimination rounds of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event held in Montréal, Canada, as one of just three teams to go undefeated in pool play. The Qatari Olympic medalists navigated a difficult Pool B at the Notre Dame Island and are now guaranteed in the quarterfinals of the event. Cherif and Ahmed, who had topped Brazilians Pedro Solberg and Gustavo ‘Guto’ Carvalhaes in their debut on Thursday, kept the good form on Friday and secured two more victories to finish in first place in their pool. The Asians started the day with a solid two-set (21-15, 21-16) win over Germans Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler and got another victory in the evening, downing the home team of Sam Schachter and Dan Dearing in the tie-breaker (21-17, 24-26, 15-7) in a rainy center court match. “We had two very tough matches today against the Germans and the Canadians,” Cherif reacted. “We had a chance to win the second match in two sets, but they were pushed by the crowd and were playing some really good blocking and defense. We were patient and ready to get the job done in the tie-breaker. Tomorrow we’ll be ready for the biggest battles. We had some injury issues at the start of the season and I’m happy that now we’re getting back to our level.”

Strong Start for Qatari Teams in Opening of 2023 Arab Table Tennis Championship

Baghdad - Qatar's table tennis teams made a strong start in the opening competitions of 2023 Arab national teams championship hosted by the city of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, under the supervision of the Arab federation. Qatar participates in this game with U15, U13 and U11 teams, alongside Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, Bahrain and Jordan. Qatar U15 team champions have beaten Jordan 3-0. By this result, the Qatari team topped the ranking for juniors category ahead of the Tunisian team, which managed to beat Iraq 3-1.

Qatar beat Chile to reach Volleyball Challenger Cup Final

Doha: Qatar are just one win away from winning the FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup 2023 and joining the elite of men’s volleyball in 2024 by taking part in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) for the first time. Hosts Qatar got their second sweep in the of 2023 Challenger Cup in the semi-final, pleasing their home fans with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 27-25) victory over Chile to book a title clash against Turkiye in the title clash today, with the winners qualifying for the VNL 2024.  The Asians were fifth in their first Challenger Cup appearance, in 2022. Qatar got excellent production from their outside hitter duo against Chile, with Youssef Oughlaf leading the team’s offense with 16 points (15 kills, one ace), followed by Raimi Wadidie, who tallied 12 points (11 kills, one block). “We’re so happy to be in the final against Tirkiye,” Oughlaf commented. “We had two difficult matches against Thailand and Chile, but I think we knew how to use our serves. We’re ready for the final and I hope we can make something good.” Chile also heavily relied on their outside hitters to battle Qatar and had team captain Dusan Bonacic leading all scorers with 18 points (16 kills, one ace, one block) and Vicente Parraguirre adding another 15 (13 kills, one ace, one block). Earlier, Turkiye had a match of ups and downs against Ukraine in the first semi-final, but managed to secure a 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 25-17, 19-25, 15-13) victory and advance to the tournament’s gold medal match. The recently-crowned CEV Golden League winners will now make their second-straight appearance in the Challenger Cup final, having finished second in 2022 – they were also fourth in 2019. “It was the second time we played Ukraine this summer and it was very tough again,” Turkiye setter and team captain Arslan Eksi said. “The first set wasn’t good for us, but after that, we started playing our game. We had the chance to win it in four, but made some mistakes and they caught us. We started the tie-breaker well, they came back, but we were able to win it. I’m happy to be in the final again. I think we deserve to be in the VNL and we’ll need to show it tomorrow (Sunday).” Star opposite Adis Lagumdzija led the Turkish offense against the Ukrainians, producing 19 points (13 kills, one ace, five blocks). Outside hitters Burutay Subasi and Efe Bayram also played major roles in the team’s victory, adding 14 and ten points respectively. Ukrainian captain and outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi led all scorers in the Challenger Cup semifinals, leaving the court with 22 points (19 kills, two aces, one block). Opposite Vasyl Tupchii registered 17 points and outside hitter Illia Kovalov another 14 for the Ukrainians. Sunday's Challenger Cup final will be just the second encounter between Türkiye and Qatar. The Europeans won the only one held so far, topping the Asians 3-1 in the quarter-finals of the last edition of the tournament, in 2022. Also on Sunday, Ukraine and Chile will play for bronze.

Qatar beat Thailand to reach semis of Volleyball Challenger Cup

Doha: Hosts Qatar yesterday defeated Thailand 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 26-24) in a thrilling contest to advance to the semi-finals of the 2023 Volleyball Challenger Cup. At the Aspire Ladies Sports Hall, Wadidie Raimi (16) scored most points for the former Asian champions, while Renan Ribeiro (12), Oughlaf Youssef (11) and captain Mohamed Ibrahim (10) also made valuable contributions. The East Asian team had qualified for the Doha tournament following their title win at the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup in Chinese Taipei, and pushed the hosts to their limits in all three sets of yesterday's quarter-final, their debut at the Challenger Cup Bhinijdee was the best scorer of the game with 23 points for Thailand, including two aces, “It was really exciting! To have all these people, the kids and the families around is amazing!” Ibrahim said after the match. “We haven’t had this kind of completion here in Doha in a long time. Now we are ready to repeat it, if possible. Like every day, tomorrow we have to win in order to go to the next round. We’ll see how it goes, but our mindset now is to reach the final.” Al Annabi spikers will meet Chile in the semi-final of the high profile tournament today Earlier, Chile secured their spot in the semis with a momentous 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-23) victory over Tunisia in their last-eight clash yesterday. It was the South American side's maiden victory in the history of the tournament, having failed to record a win during three previous editions of the Challenger Cup. In a tightly contested first set with a score tied at 8-8, Gabriel Araya’s remarkable serve propelled Chile to an impressive eight-point lead, and they never looked back. While Tunisia tried to make a comeback in the second set, Chile displayed their resilience, catching up at 11-11 and eventually securing the set. The third set saw Chile maintain their lead throughout, with Tunisia making several attempts to level the score but falling short before captain Dusan Bonacic sealed the victory at 25-23. “This team has been working for a long time. We wanted to show the world what we were capable of, so we are very happy to win this match this way. The most important thing is that we never stopped playing. Even in the second set, after starting with 6-1, we kept playing until the end, and that was the key to the match. We fought hard, and we played very well until the end. I am very proud of this team,” Vicente Parraguirre, who delivered 33 points for the winning team, told FIVB's official web site after the match. Meanwhile, in another gripping quarter-final clash, debutants Ukraine beat China 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19). The European squad showcased their dominance with stellar blocking and powerful swings in the first two sets, taking a commanding 2-0 lead. Despite a spirited comeback attempt by China in the third set, Ukraine managed to regain control and ultimately sealed the match with a clever tip by middle blocker Dmytro Teryomenko. Last year’s finalists Türkiye made it to the Challenger Cup semifinals for the third time in a row. In yesterday's last quarterfinal, they managed a 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 24-26, 25-19) victory over Dominican Republic and will face Ukraine in one of the semis on today. The title winners in Doha will secure a spot in the men’s Volleyball Nations League 2024.

Qatar drawn in Group A as teams learn 2026 World Cup, 2027 Asian Cup path

Kuala Lumpur - The stage is set for Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 following the draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.   The 36 sides were drawn into nine groups of four, and they will compete against each team in a home-and-away round-robin format, between November 2023 and June 2024.   Ten of the Round 2 teams will progress from Round 1 of the Preliminary Joint Qualification, with the draw conducted earlier on Thursday. As there will be 48 teams – a first – at the FIFA World Cup 2026, eight and a half slots are on offer for the Continent’s national teams.   Group A saw Qatar, India, Kuwait and the winners of the Round 1 tie between Afghanistan or Mongolia drawn together while Group B will see Japan, Syria, DPR Korea and Myanmar/Macau battling to advance to the third round.   Korea Republic led the Group C cast with China PR, Thailand and Singapore/Guam also in the fray while Group D saw Oman, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia and Chinese Taipei/Timor-Leste drawn together.   Group E will see Islamic Republic of Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Hong Kong (China)/Bhutan vying to advance to the next round with Iraq, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia/Brunei Darussalam the Group F sides.   Group G consists of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tajikistan and Cambodia/Pakistan while Group H will see United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen/Sri Lanka and Nepal/Laos tussling for the two berths. Australia, Palestine, Lebanon and Maldives/Bangladesh are the Group I cast.   All nine group winners and the respective runners-up will advance to the third round of World Cup qualifying, and at the same time seal their places at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.   The draw for the third round of the global showpiece in 2026 will be conducted in 2024, where the 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six; the top two from each group will qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The other two direct AFC entrants will be determined in the fourth round of World Cup qualifying, with one more possible berth available via an Intercontinental Playoff.   The other 18 teams from Round 2 will proceed directly to the third and final round of AFC Asian Cup qualifying. More details on the latter qualifying stages will be released in due course.Group AcTypeface:> Qatar, India, Kuwait, Afghanistan/Mongolia   Group B: Japan, Syria, DPR Korea, Myanmar/Macau   Group C: Korea Republic, China PR, Thailand,Singapore/Guam   Group D: Oman, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei/Timor-Leste   Group E: IR Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Hong Kong, China/Bhutan   Group F: Iraq, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia/Brunei Darussalam   Group G: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tajikistan, Cambodia/Pakistan   Group H: UAE, Bahrain, Yemen/Sri Lanka, Nepal/Laos   Group I: Australia, Palestine, Lebanon, Maldives/Bangladesh.

Stage set for World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024

Fukuoka: Khaleel Al Jaber, President of the Qatar Swimming Association and General Director of the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 Organizing Committee has delivered a presentation on Doha preparations to host the world championships at the World Aquatics Congress held on Fukuoka, Japan on Tuesday.  The Championships will be held in Doha from February 02-18, 2024.  Al Jaber stressed that Doha is ready to host a unique edition of the world championships and to welcome participants from all over the world. Having successfully organised several World Aquatics events in the past, including the acclaimed World Swimming Championships (25m) in 2014, as well as World Cup events in swimming, open water swimming, diving and artistic swimming, Doha has a proven track record to deliver outstanding competitions and provide world-class facilities for athletes and fans alike. On the other hand, Kuwait’s Husain Al-Musallam has secured a new eight-year term as President of World Aquatics after standing uncontested at the organisation's General Congress. Members of World Aquatics all but unanimously voted in favour of keeping the Kuwaiti official in charge of the global governing body until 2031.