Swiatek begins title defence with straight-sets victory, Gauff edges out two-time champion Kvitova

Doha- Defending champion and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek swept aside USA's Danielle Collins in just 53 minutes, posting a 6-0, 6-1 victory, to book a quarterfinal ticket against No. 7 seed Belinda Bencic, who had earlier overturned a 6-1, 4-1 deficit to edge out the 2012 and 2013 winner, Victoria Azarenka, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, on Wednesday. Swiatek finished the match with eight winners to just six unforced errors, breaking Collins' serve five times. She did not face a break point in the match. In other matches on the day, No. 4 seed Coco Gauff defeated two-time champion Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-6(6) in 84 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Gauff will next face No. 8 seed Veronika Kudermetova, who reached her fourth quarterfinal of  the season with a 6-2, 7-5 defeat of former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. The 18-year-old Gauff managed only four winners off the ground, tallying 11 in total thanks to  seven aces, while Kvitova (the 2018 and 2021 champion), on the other hand, racked up 21 winners, including a pair of breathtaking forehands in the second-set tiebreak. Meanwhile, world No. 4 and second-seeded Jessica Pegula of the USA advanced to the last-eight with a comeback victory, saving two match points before overcoming 2016 finalist Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

HH the Father Amir Participates in National Sports Day

DOHA, February 14, 2023 - HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani participated on Tuesday morning in the activities of the National Sports Day, which is held under the slogan " The Choice Is Yours". His Highness practiced walking in Souq Waqif area. HH the Father Amir was accompanied by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani, HE Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa Al-Thani, HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, and a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs and Ministers.

Former champion Pliskova and Belgium's Mertens qualify for the main rounds

Doha: 2017 champion Karolina Pliskova, world No. 26 Marie Bouzkova, former world No. 1 in doubles Elise Mertens  andBulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova all made it into the main rounds of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2023 at the conclusion of the qualifying rounds on Monday. Pliskova, who finished last season ranked No. 32, her lowest year-end ranking in 10 years, secured her place after defeating Canada's Leylah Fernandez (6-2, 7-5). The 30-year-old Monaco-resident is one of the high-profile players  participating in this year's tournament. The former world No. 1 in singles had earlier dispatched Britain's Harriet Dart and Canada's Leylah Fernandez, respectively, in straight sets en route to her main round. In the other matches, Bouzkova handed a straight sets  (7-5, 6-1) defeat to Canada's Rebecca Marino while Mertens beat Belgium's Elena-Gabriela Ruse (6-4, 2-6, 6-4). Tomova, on the other hand, defeated USA's Madison Brengle in straight sets (6-3, 6-3). Meanwhile, eight-seed Veronika Kudermetova overcame the resistance of the Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova to book her place in the round of 16. The Kazan-born world No. 11 overcame the scare of the 27-year-old Czech to secure victory 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 in a thrilling encounter that lasted all of three hours.

QOC Unveils Activities for National Sports Day

DOHA - Qatar Olympics Committee (QOC) unveiled its activities for the 12th edition of National Sports Day on Tuesday at Oxygen Park in Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. At a press conference Monday, Director of Marketing and Communications Department of the QOC Sheikha Asma Al-Thani said on the occasion of the State of Qatar's celebration of the National Sports Day, we are all proud of the passage of twelve years since its inception. This confirms Qatar's keenness on continuing it with the same strength and status and achieving its goals through adopting best practices and means to expand the base of community participation in sports, she said. She added the QOC was aware of its duty and the value of its leading role in the field of managing sustainable events by organizing activities and events in accordance with the ISO standard (ISO 20121: 2012 ESMS). From this standpoint, Qatar Foundation was selected to be a partner in the country's Sports Day and to host its activities at Education City's Oxygen Park for its interest in sustainability and the application of its standards, and in line with the direction of the Olympic Committee in achieving the goals of sustainable development. For her part, Director of Events at Qatar Foundation Mashael Shahbik affirmed the QF's keenness on making sports tournaments and activities available to people of all ages and abilities, which reflects the fact that sport should be for everyone, terming the Sports Day as a day for making positive and healthy change in society through cohesion, unity and team spirit. She pointed to QF's organization of a march on the Sports Day in support of those affected by the devastating earthquake that recently struck Turkiye and Syria, in an effort to play its role in international relief efforts following this natural disaster. On the occasion of the National Sports Day, many activities will be held in four main locations in Qatar Foundation, namely Oxygen Park, green zone, Education City Stadium, and entertainment center to enhance community participation, she said. The Director of Events at Qatar Foundation revealed that activities dedicated for women only will be organized at the Education City Stadium, pointing out that the Education City Stadium, after the end of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and in the legacy phase will become a center for women's sports in Qatar, and will provide wonderful opportunities for women to practice sports at all levels and to serve schools and the surrounding community by providing activities and interactive spaces. In addition, two schools belonging to QF will also be established within the stadium area. For his part, Director of the QOC Sports Affairs Department Mohammed Issa Al Fadala stressed that the country's Sports Day is an important message on the significance of sport and need to practice it, and that it must be part of daily life not only on the sports day, noting that all sports federations and clubs open their doors for practicing sports throughout the year. He hoped for greater participation in the activities of the QOC on the Sports Day this year, especially as they will be held at Oxygen Park which can accommodate a wide turnout from all groups and ages. Head of the QOC communication unit Abdullah Al Marri highlighted the activities of the QOC on the Sports Day, saying the Oxygen Park in Education City hosts activities in which 13 sports federations participate. Each federation organizes various sporting events. These federations will be represented by Al Adaam stars who will take part in the events along with the fans to celebrate sports and motivate them to play and compete honestly. He noted that the activities organized by the QOC in cooperation with sports federations include table tennis, basketball, handball, volleyball, tennis, archery, athletics, fencing, wrestling, boxing, taekwondo, judo, karate, gymnastics, and games for people with special needs. Meanwhile, the QOC will organize in cooperation with Olympic Council of Asia the "Fun Run to the Hangzhou Asian Games" race tomorrow. The Asian Games will be held in China's city of Hangzhou from Sep. 23 to Oct. 8, 2023. In this context, Liu Zhizhong, deputy director of the supervision and audit department of the Asian Games Organizing Committee, thanked the QOC for its interest in China's preparations for the Asian Games and its contribution to the promotional activities of the event. He said this event coincides with the anniversary of friendship between China and Qatar. Hangzhou is China's economic and cultural capital, so there are many cultural activities that will accompany the Asian Games.

Sheikh Joaan honors Champions of 1st Marathon of School Olympic Program

DOHA, February 15, 2023 - HE President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani honored the champions of the first marathon of the School Olympic Program, which took place on Tuesday in the garden of Qatar Foundation in conjunction with the National Sport Day (NSD), in the presence of HE QOC Secretary-General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain and HE President of the Qatar School Sports Association (QSSA) Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al-Thani. The race witnessed the participation of 1,200 male and female students, in the presence of a large crowd of parents who were keen to be present and provide support to their children. The race was launched in stages, with different distances according to the age group (1 km, 2 km, and 3 km). It witnessed very strong competition among the participants. After the end of the competitions, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, HE Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al-Thani, QSSA Executive Director and Executive Director of the Schools Olympic Program Abdulrahman Al Muftah, and financial director of the School Olympic Program Mohammed Al Meer honored the winners. Student Rowan Lockwood came in first place at the primary level, and student Yasmin Qasi ranked first in the girls' category. At the preparatory level, student Benjamin Young came in first place for boys and student Zahra Haseeb was in first place for girls. At the secondary level, the student Prilanam Eliner came in first place for boys, and the student Hajar Imad Kahla in first place for girls. Dukhan English School won first place for boys in the primary stage and the Lycee Voltaire School won first place for girls. In the preparatory stage competitions, Dukhan English School came in first place for boys and MES Indian School in first place for girls. Doha British School won first place for boys and Lycee Voltaire School won first place for girls in secondary stage competitions. HE President of the Qatar School Sports Association (QSSA) Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al-Thani expressed his happiness with the distinguished atmosphere witnessed by the 1st School Olympic Program marathon and the wide participation of students in various educational stages. His Excellency extended thanks to QF and Aspire Academy for their cooperation and partnership with the School Olympic Program and for their contribution to the success of this distinguished sporting event. The plan is for the next edition of the race to witness the participation of about 4,000 students, he added. Regarding holding the race on National Sport Day, His Excellency explained that the idea was to start the race on National Sport Day, given its importance and to urge students to practice sports in line with the NSD goals. Executive Director of the Schools Olympic Program Abdulrahman Al Muftah said the first edition of the school sports day race is just the beginning, where QSSA is developing plans to develop the race in the future, especially after the success of the first edition, noting the competitive atmosphere among students of different ages. Financial director of the School Olympic Program Mohammed Abdullah Al Meer pointed out that the School Olympic program competitions will be held throughout the year, as there are 18 competitions in various individual and team games.

Her Highness attends QOC National Sport Day activities

DOHA - HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development attended Tuesday part of the Qatar Olympic Committee's activities marking the 12th edition of Qatar's National Sport Day (NSD), held at Oxygen Park in Education City. H.E. President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani and HE Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani also attended the activities. Marking the occasion, the QOC organized several sporting events and activities at Oxygen Park, with the participation of sports federations, team Qatar stars, people with special needs, the QOC family, schools, and community members. HE QOC Secretary-General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain stressed that participation in the NSD comes within the committee's endeavors to build a sporting environment for all, noting that the QOC's activities in the NSD support the coming generations of athletes. The QOC Secretary-General said that the committee's events in the year's edition of NSD see the participation of the best athletes team Qatar, who will support the participants in the sporting activities, adding that the NSD forms a unique platform for inspiring and supporting the unity of Qatar through sports and supporting Olympic values. (QNA)