Qatar wins 5 medals at international taekwondo championships

Doha: The Qatari taekwondo team won five medals (one gold, two silver and two bronze) during their participation in several international championships in Turkey and the Arab Cup in the UAE. Othman Boularas, the taekwondo national team player, won a gold medal in the "Poomsae" category during his participation in the Turkish Open Championship for Taekwondo, which is classified in the two-star category (G2). In the "fighting" category, the Qatari national team players won a silver and two bronze medals in the Arab Cup competitions, classified in the one-star category (G1), which was held in Fujairah, the UAE. Qatari taekwondo team players will go to Turkey to compete in the Turkish Open from February 10 to 14 in preparation for participating in the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Azerbaijan from May 29 to June 6.   

Qatar beach volleyball team qualifies for quarter-finals of World Tour "Elite 16"

Doha Qatar beach volleyball team consisting of the duo Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan qualified for the quarter-finals of the opening round competitions of the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour "Elite 16" for men and women qualifying for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Qatari duo surpassed their Australian counterparts McHugh and Burnett 2-0 in their match yesterday at the Aspire Park sports complex. The Qatari team ranked 2nd in the world, and qualified for second place in group D, by obtaining five points behind the Italian team consisting of the duo Carambula and Ranghieri, who finished in first place with six points. Qatar participated in the tournament with two teams, the first was the duo Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, while the second was Mahmoud Essam and Abdullah Nassim. The latter was eliminated from the tournament.  

2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour "Elite16" Opening Round Begins

DOHA  - The opening round of the "Elite16" event of the 2023 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour for men and women qualifying for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 kicked off Wednesday at the Aspire Park sports complex and will run till Feb. 5. The Qatari national team is participating in the tournament with two teams, the first is the duo Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, and the second is Mahmoud Essam and Abdullah Nassim. Both teams will start their campaign on Thursday (main draw round). In Wednesday's qualifier, Brazilians Saymon Barbosa and Vinicius Freitas secured the fourth spot in the main draw in the qualifier. A fifth berth was opened with the withdrawal of Czech Olympians Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner, which led to Spanish veterans Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira also moving forward as lucky losers - they lost to Saymon and Vinicius in the second round of the qualifier. On the women side, Brazil's Talita Antunes/Thamela Coradello and USA's Taryn Kloth/Kristen Nuss were the other two teams to advance. The Americans had a familiar bracket, topping compatriots Toni Rodriguez and Savvy Simo 2-1 in the first round and Megan Kraft and Emily Stockman in two sets in the second. The Qatari team (1), consisting of the duo Cherif Mahmoud and Ahmed Tijan, was drawn in Group D of the opening round next to the duo Evandro Oliveira Junior and Andre Loyola Stein (Brazil), Ehlers and Wickler (Germany), and a fourth team to be determined after the end of the preliminary first-round matches of the tournament, while the Qatari team (2), consisting of Mahmoud Essam and Abdullah Nassim, was drawn in Group C along with de Groot and Boermans from the Netherlands, Chilean duo Marco and Esteban Grimalt, and a fourth team to be determined from the qualifiers to the main round.  

QFA President Elected to FIFA Council

MANAMA - HE President of Qatar Football Association (QFA) Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani was elected as a member of the FIFA Council, the main decision-making authority of world football's governing body, at the 33rd Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Manama, Bahrain. The victory of HE the QFA President was confirmed after he received the most votes in the election - 40 - from among the seven candidates for the five positions. In addition to Asian representatives for the FIFA Council, AFC Executive Committee members for the term 2023-2027 were also elected by delegates from the continent's member associations. The 33rd AFC Congress also witnessed the re-election of Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa for the position of President of the AFC, having stood unopposed. Contesting alongside HE the QFA President for membership of the FIFA Council were many top leaders of Asian football, such as Do Zhaocai (China) - 18 votes; Kozo Tashima (Japan) - 39 votes; Mong Gyu-chung (South Korea) - 19 Votes; Datuk Haji Hamidin bin Haji Mohd Amin (Malaysia) - 30 votes; Mariano Araneta Jr. (Philippines) - 34 votes, and Yasser Hassan Al-Misehal (Saudi Arabia) - 35 votes. When it comes to football in Asia, the governing body is the AFC Congress. For the first time since the extraordinary meeting of the Congress in Paris in June 2019, AFC representatives from different regions and countries got together in person. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, was also present at the meeting.   

Qatar Taekwondo Team to participate in WT President's Cup 2023 in Turkey

Doha: The Qatari national taekwondo team for Poomsae will participate on Wednesday in the International Taekwondo Federation President's Cup in Turkey (WT President's Cup 2023). Ranked G2, the event will run until Feb. 2. Qatar's team will also will take part in the Turkish Open Taekwondo Championship Poomsae Feb. 3-4. Ranked G2, Qatari national taekwondo team player Othman Boularas will represent Qatar in the two events. The Qatari national taekwondo team will also participate in the Arab Taekwondo Championship (Arab Cup), ranked G1, and the Fujairah Open International Taekwondo Championship, ranked G2, during Feb. 2-8 in Fujairah. Meanwhile, the Qatari judo team is preparing to partake in the Paris Grand Slam 2023 in Paris from Feb. 4-5. followed by Paris International Training Camp from Feb. 6-9.   

Elite 16 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Opening Round's Draw Held

DOHA, January 31, 2023 - The Qatari team (1), consisting of the duo Cherif Mahmoud and Ahmed Tijan, was drawn in Group D of the opening round of the Elite16 World Beach Pro Tours for men and women, the first international rounds qualifying for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 starting Wednesday and run till Feb. 5. Cherif Mahmoud and Ahmed Tijan came next to the duo, Evandro Oliveira Junior and Andre Loyola Stein (Brazil), Ehlers and Wickler (Germany), and a fourth team, which will be determined after the end of the preliminary first-round matches of the tournament. The Qatari team (2), consisting of Mahmoud Essam and Abdullah Nassim, was drawn in Group C along with de Groot and Boermans from the Netherlands, Chilean duo Marco and Esteban Grimalt, and a fourth team determined from the qualifiers to the main round. The tournament will witness the participation of the world-ranked Norwegian duo Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, winners of the final round of the Beach Pro Tour, which concluded Sunday in Doha. USA duo Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng, who won the women's title, will also participate.