Team Qatar eye new glory in 2022 WKF U21, Junior & Cadet World Championships

DOHA -  Qatar's national karate team will participate in the 2022 WKF U21, Junior & Cadet World Championships to be held in Konya (Turkiye) from October 26 to 30.  The event will bring together more than 1000 athletes from 100 countries.  The competition will start on Wednesday, October 26 and the medal bouts and finals are set to be held on Saturday and Sunday. Qatar will be represented by Abdullah Rashad in men's 84 kg event and Yaman Al Natsha in men's 67 event.   Team Qatar will also participate in the 2022 Asian Cadet, Junior and U-21 Karate Championships to be staged in Uzbekistan next December.     

Team Qatar placed in Pot 1 for AFC U20 Asian Cup draw

Kuala Lumpur: The AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023™ official draw ceremony is poised to reveal thrilling encounters as Asia’s top 16 teams have their names drawn from four pots at 12pm (local time) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Wednesday. Following a four-year absence due to the pandemic and after a captivating qualifying campaign, the Continent’s emerging stars will learn their fate at the showpiece which returns from March 1 to 18, 2023. With 10 group winners and five best runners-up from the Qualifiers joining hosts Uzbekistan in the Finals, the challengers will be divided into four groups of four teams, with the top two sides in each group advancing to the Quarter-finals. As hosts of the competition, the young White Wolves will be placed as the top seeded Member Association (MA) while the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018™ team ranking will determine the seeding of the remaining contenders. Joining Uzbekistan in Pot 1 are Saudi Arabia, winners of the U19 edition in 2018 followed by runners-up Korea Republic and 2014 champions Qatar, who advanced to the Finals with an undefeated record in their Group B qualifiers. 2016 title winners Japan, 2018 Quarter-finalists Tajikistan, Australia and Indonesia will occupy Pot 2 followed by Jordan, China PR, four-time champions Iraq and 2016 Semi-finalists Vietnam in Pot 3.      Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran, who will be looking to end their 47-year title drought, will be drawn from Pot 4, alongside Oman, Syria as well as Kyrgyz Republic who return to the tournament after a 17-year hiatus.  It has been four years since the Continent’s rising stars have contended at the elite youth level and they will be eager to challenge for the prestigious trophy as well as four tickets to the FIFA U20 World Cup 2023, which will return to Asia in Indonesia from May 20 to June 11.  

Sheikh Joaan attends ‘Doha Mountains’ unveiling ceremony

Doha- The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President, H.E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, attended the unveiling ceremony of the "Doha Mountains" at the Ras Abou Aboud beachfront, near the 974 Stadium, on Saturday. The Chairperson of Qatar Museums, H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassabint Hamad Al-Thani, inaugurated the newly commissioned public art installation by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone. In attendance from the QOC were First Vice President H.E. Mohamed bin Yousef Al Mana, Second Vice President H.E. Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al-Kuwari, Secretary General H.E. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain and Director of Marketing and Communications Sheikha Asma Al Thani. Several of Team Qatar's Olympic stars and rising athletes were also present for the event, including: Mutaz Barshim (High Jump), Fares Ibrahim (Weightlifting), Cherif Younes and Ahmed Tijan (Beach Volleyball), Mohammed Suleiman (1500m athletic runner), Nada Mohammed Wafa (Swimming), Abdulla Al Tamimi (Squash), Maryam Al Buenein (Show Jumping). The "Doha Mountains" sculpture, which reflects the colors of the Olympic Rings, is yet another example of Qatar's dedication to the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship, and Respect. The masterpiece not only showcases the great importance and central focus of sport in the country’s national development, but also a lasting legacy that will forever remain a point of reference for a city that is realising its dream of hosting the best global sports events such as the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the intended hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Qatar’s Younousse and Tijan to participate in Dubai Challenge

Doha- Italy’s Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi and Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan lead the women’s and the men’s entry lists for the first of two Dubai Challenge events on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour next month. The eighth Challenge tournament of the inaugural Beach Pro Tour season will take place from October 22 through 25. A total of 96 pairs will compete for their share of the USD 150,000 prize purse. In each gender, 16 teams were seeded directly into the 24-team main draw line-up. The remaining eight vacancies will be contested in a 32-team qualification bracket. A second tournament of the same category will be held in Dubai from October 27 through 30. The United Arab Emirates have not hosted an event of such a high calibre since 2008 when the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour visited the Asian country for the first time with a two-gender Dubai Open tournament. Teams from 25 countries and all five continental confederations are among the 48 that appear on the men’s main draw and qualifier lists. Former world’s number one Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, currently eighth in the World Ranking, will be the top-seeded team in the men’s main draw. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallists have already collected a gold and a silver at the highest Elite16 level, but will be chasing their first podium at the Challenge level. econd in the entry list are Norway’s Mathias Berntsen and Hendrik Mol. After finishing Agadir Challenge runners-up in July, they will be aiming at their second Beach Pro Tour podium. The United States’ Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb, seeded third, who have had an excellent season on the AVP Tour, are still in search of their first Beach Pro Tour medal, however. So are their compatriots Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb, who are also seeded directly into the Dubai main draw. Among the world’s highest ranked teams to take to the main draw courts in Dubai are also Italy’s Adrian Carambula and Enrico Rossi, Argentina’s Nicolas Capogrosso and Tomas Capogrosso, Switzerland’s Quentin Metral and Yves Haussener and Mexico’s Miguel Sarabia and Juan Virgen, all in the top 40 of the current World Ranking chart. The Dubai Challenge will also mark the return of Latvia’s three-time Olympian and London 2012 bronze medallist Martins Plavins after a year-long absence from international competition due to a knee surgery. 37-year-old Plavins has teamed up with 24-year-old Mihails Samoilovs and the new pair will make their Beach Pro Tour debut in the Dubai main draw.

H.E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani elected ANOC Senior Vice President

Seoul - Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President H.E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani was today elected as the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Senior Vice President at the XXVI ANOC General Assembly 2022 in Seoul. As the sole candidate for the prestigious position, H.E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani was elected by secret ballot, receiving 166 votes. H.E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, who will also serve as ANOC Vice President for Asia, was nominated for the role by the Olympic Council of Asia. In recognition of His Excellency’s service to the Olympic Movement in Asia and beyond, and as a testament to QOC’s work to advance the role of sport for peace and development, this is a momentous occasion that marks the beginning of a four-year mandate until 2026. Upon his election, H.E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani expressed: “I greatly appreciate your support and the trust you have shown in me. I also thank the Olympic Council of Asia for their nomination. Working to represent the interests of ANOC and the entire NOC family to the best of my ability starts now and I am excited for what is to come.” “As we say in the Olympic Movement, we are stronger together and there is so much we can learn from each other. ANOC has a key role to play in facilitating the sharing of knowledge and resources among NOCs and providing support for NOCs so you can best serve your athletes and communities. I look forward to actively contributing to a brighter and shared future by working with President Mitchell, the ANOC Executive Council, ANOC Secretary General and the entire ANOC team in Lausanne.”

Draw held for West Asian Football Tournament

Jeddah: Qatar have been placed in Group (A) of the third West Asian Under 23 Football Tournament to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia From November 03-15, 2022. Oman and Lebanon are the other teams in Qatar's group while Group (B) includes Saudi Arabia, Syria and Bahrain. The two top teams in each group will qualify to the semifinals. Qatar will take on Lebanon in their opening match on November 03 then will play Oman on November 09.