Luka wins all-Georgian showdown at World Judo Championships

DOHA - Georgian judoka Luka Maisuradze claimed the gold medal in the men’s individual under 90 kg category at the fifth day of the World Judo Championships - Doha 2023. Luka’s victory came after he gave an impressive performance in a category that featured 58 participants, divided into four groups who competed against each other from the preliminary rounds to the finals, a statement said on Thursday.In the final, the Georgian athlete defeated his fellow Georgian Lasha Bekauri, who won the silver medal, while Sweden’s Markus Nyman and Japan’s Sanchiro Murao both claimed bronze medals in the same category. In the women’s category under 70 kg, several historical achievements were made as Japan’s Saki Nizoe defeated Germany’s Giovanna Scoccimarro in the final to claim her first-ever individual gold medal. This brought Japan’s gold medal count to four in the 2023 Doha Championships. In an unexpected result, Croatia’s Barbara Matic, the world champion in 2021 and 2022, settled for a bronze medal while Michaela Polleres made history by becoming the first Austrian judoka to claim a medal at the World Judo Championships.

Qatar Olympic Committee and Spanish Olympic Committee Commit to Greater Collaboration

Doha- The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) today strengthened their long-term collaboration with a ceremonial renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two NOCs. QOC President H.E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani and COE President Alejandro Blanco formalised the renewal of the MoU, which has been in place since 2011, with an official ceremony to mark their commitment to promoting deeper bilateral relations, cooperation and understanding. The signing ceremony took place at the Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena in Doha, which is currently hosting the IJF World Judo Championships. Under the terms of the renewed MoU, the QOC and COE commit to stronger engagement in areas of mutual interest and to exploring new pathways for cooperation, such as: • Exchange of best practice relating to elite athlete development programmes. • Exchange of lessons learned from international event hosting experience. • Co-development and delivery of legacy programs relating to refugee athletes. • Facilitation of pre-event training camps in both countries. Speaking following the ceremonial renewal, QOC President H.E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani said: “The Qatar Olympic Committee is delighted to renew its partnership with the Spanish Olympic Committee and identify new ways to further develop cooperation between our two NOCs. We are committed to ensuring that our MoU is activated through targeted action to support all Olympic Movement stakeholders in our respective countries and to build on the vast experiences we have amassed over the years. We have enjoyed a strong relationship with the Spanish Olympic Committee under the leadership of President Blanco over the last 10 years, but we are confident we can achieve even more together. COE President Alejandro Blanco said: Firstly, we are truly happy to be here in Qatar, I  congratulate Qatar on this amazing effort to progress sport development at such a rapid pace. This is why the international community continually praise Qatar’s sporting landscape. We are happy to have signed this MoU with QOC in 2011 and excited about the renewal which allows us to work together to benefit our athletes, coaches and sport in general. We truly appreciate Qatar’s constant effort to improve the standard in sports.  We will continue to abide by our cooperation agreement to help us both find success in the different fields which concern us. Renewing this agreement will help secure a better future for all.  

Canada’s Christa Deguchi and Switzerland’s Nils Stump win gold at Judo World Championships

Doha: Swiss athlete Nils Stump was crowned the men's under 73 kg gold medalist on the third day of the Judo World Championships - Doha 2023, while Canadian athlete Christa Deguchi won the women's under 57 kg gold medal. The competitions were intense for both men and women on the third day, as 55 athletes competed in the men's under 73 kg category, starting from the preliminary rounds and reaching the finals, where Stump defeated Italian athlete Manuel Lombardo to win the gold medal, with Lombardo receiving the silver medal. Uzbek athlete Muradjon Yuldashev and former world champion, Japanese athlete Soichi Hashimoto, both won bronze medals. In the women's under 57 kg category, 50 athletes competed from the preliminary rounds to the finals, where Canadian athlete Christa Deguchi defeated Japanese athlete Haruka Funakobo to win the gold medal. Mongolian athlete Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo and Canadian athlete Jessica Klimkait both won bronze medals.  

Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad inaugurates 2023 World Judo Championships

Doha: H.E. President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani inaugurated on Monday the World Judo Championships 2023, hosted by Doha at the Ali bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena and lasts till May 14, 2023. President of the International Judo Federation Marius Vizer, a number of Their Excellencies, Asian and international sports and Olympic leaders, along with a number of the Qatari and international officials of the Judo Federations attended the opening ceremony. HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani crowned the winners of the women's under 52 kg category. His Excellency crowned the Japanese Uta Abe with the gold medal, the Uzbek Diyora Keldiyorova with the silver medal, and the French Amandine Buchard and the Italian Odette Guiffrida with the bronze medals. HE Second-Vice President of Qatar Olympic Committee Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari crowned the winners of the men's under 66 kg category. His Excellency crowned the Japanese Hifumi Abe with the gold medal, the Japanese Joshiro Maruyama with the silver medal, and the French Walide Khyar and the Mongolian Yondonperenlein Baskhuu with the bronze medals. The opening ceremony began with a welcoming speech by Director of the Local Organizing Committee of the World Judo Championships - Doha 2023 Khalid bin Hamad Al Attiyah. Al Attiyah said that he was pleased to welcome everyone at the opening ceremony of the World Judo Championships - Doha 2023. He expressed Qatar's pride in hosting the World Judo Championships for the first time in Doha, consolidating Qatar's position as a host country that has succeeded in attracting the biggest sporting events in the world. He expressed his gratitude to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani as under His Highness's leadership, vision, and directives, Qatar has seen unprecedented growth and development in shaping the sports scene and infrastructure that made Qatar home to world-class sporting infrastructure. At the end of his speech, Al Attiyah said that he would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this event possible, from volunteers, sponsors, and the audience, wishing all the judokas the best of luck and hoping that everyone would enjoy the World Judo Championships - Doha 2023. For his part, HE Secretary-General of Qatar Olympic Committee Jassim Rashid Al Buainain welcomed the championship's guests, saying that Qatar is pleased to host the World Judo Championships and welcomes everyone in Doha, the capital of sports. He added that as the world knows it, the State of Qatar has raised the slogan of leadership and excellence in organizing sporting events, in addition to preserving its values and heritage and highlighting them in such forums. For his part, President of the International Judo Federation Marius Vizer praised hosting the 2023 World Judo Championships in Doha, expressing his thanks to the State of Qatar for its support of the championship. Vizer said that today they are in the country of sports, culture, and technology; the country that became a destination for organizing international sporting championships; the country that represents the values of unity and friendship between countries. He expressed his thanks to the State of Qatar for its support of sports in general and of the World Judo Championships in particular, hoping that Qatar would continue on that path and be the best organizer for the Olympic Games in the future because it deserves that. In his speech, Vizer noted the role of sports in consolidating the relationships among peoples and nations, saying that sports are the best way to link and consolidate the bonds between peoples. In the meantime, the world is facing a critical stage in international relationships because of what is happening in various regions, therefore, we should maintain the independence of sports to be an inspiration to world leaders to maintain peace, understanding, and cooperation among world peoples. (QNA)  

Natsumi Tsunoda and Francisco Garrigós win gold on Day 1 of World Judo Championships

Doha- The World Judo Championships- Doha 2023 kicked off in style Sunday at the Ali bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena. Sunday saw the first day of competition, which featured women under 48kg and men under 60kgs, battling it out for the championship crown. In the women's under 48kg category, it was a closely fought contest, with the gold medal eventually going to Japan's Natsumi Tsunoda. She was followed by France's Shirine Boukli in second place, and Japan’s Koga Wakana and Italy’s Assunto Scuto in third. Meanwhile, in the men's under 60kg category, the gold medal was claimed by Spain's Francisco Garrigós. In second place was Uzbekistan’s Dilshodbek Baratov, while in third place was Korea's Lee Harim and Georgia’s Giorgi Sardalashvili. Speaking after the event, the Director of the Sports Committee for the championships, Eid Ali Al Muraikhi, said: "The Judo World Championship - Doha 2023 has kicked off with fiercely competitive matches. We've seen exceptional performances from all the participating athletes, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners. Additionally, we'd like to highlight that the opening ceremony of the championship will take place Monday evening. We're looking forward to a momentous event that celebrates both Arab and Qatari cultures, while also serving as a global occasion." The tournament is scheduled to take place from 7 to 14 May, and will witness the participation of 657 players from 99 countries across five continents, namely Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia, and America. According to the International Judo Federation's draw, the competition features 343 players across seven weight categories for men's singles: under 60 kg (37 players), under 66 kg (55 players), under 73 kg (55 players), under 81 kg (51 players), under 90 kg (58 players), under 100 kg (44 players), and over 100 kg (43 players). For women's singles, the competition has 314 players across seven weight categories: under 48 kg (45 players), under 52 kg (46 players), under 57 kg (50 players), under 63 kg (46 players), under 70 kg (49 players), under 78 kg (37 players), and above 78 kg (41 players). For more information on the World Judo Championships - Doha 2023 and ticket purchases, visit the official website, judodoha2023.com.

QCSF gets membership of Asian University Sports Federation

Dubai, UAE – The General Assembly Meeting of Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF) has unanimously  approved Qatar Collegiates Sports Federation (QCSF) as a  member no (41) to join  the AUSF family on Sunday during its  GA meeting that runs from 6th to 9th  May, UAE’s city of Dubai. The meeting is attended by H.E Asian University Sports Federation  President,  Mr. XUE Yanging,  representatives of  41 member countries  including QCSF as a new member,  international monitors , guests from International University Sports Federation (FISU), European University Sports Association and Oceania University Sports Association.  Qatar is  represented in the meeting by the QCSF Secretary General, Mr. Rashid Saed Mohammed. Over three days, the AUSF General Assembly meeting will discuss  top vital  topics that  can help University Sports and activities  to develop and become sustainable. In the closing meeting on Monday, General Assembly members will elect the AUSF President, the Secretary General, Treasurer  among 13 members of  AUSF Executive Committee. Most notably, the QCSF now gets AUSF membership after being approved to Arab University Sports Federation membership and sooner is expected to join FISU membership in November. The QCSF Secretary General, Mr. Rashid Saed Mohammed has congratulated  H.E the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani on this promising achievement and appreciated his  immense help that made the QCSF’s initiative became true. “ We are truly happy to join AUSF membership in a promising move that will take Qatar Collegiates Sports to new heights and be integral part of continental sports activities, we hopefully to take further step  to join International University Sports Federation (FISU)” said Mr. Adiba. “ This  new membership copes to our message  to build up high education institutions that having a center stage role in the sports at both regional and global levels” added Mr. Adiba.