Lebanon, Australia, Japan and New Zealand qualify for FIBA U17 World Cup

DOHA - Giorgio Azzi emerged as hero for Lebanon as they beat Korea, 72-64, to qualify for a FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup debut. The two teams battled back and forth throughout the entire game, with neither team leading by as much 9 points. Both teams split time leading in this game, Korea staying ahead just under 15 minutes in the game while Lebanon led for nearly 22 minutes. The lead changed 14 times and in the end it was in the favor of the young Cedars. With 7 minutes left in the game, Azzi banked in a three-pointer while falling away from the basket covered by defenders to overtake the lead. The game was tight and the tension was high, so no one knew that would be the last time that the lead would change hands. From there, Lebanon commanded the momentum and Azzi nailed a floater in the middle of the lane with a little over 30 seconds to go to put the nail in the coffin. While Azzi provided the heroic moments it was Karlito Zamatta who starred in this game. The 2.02M (6’8”) center had the best game of any player in this tournament so far based on Efficiency Rating at 37. He led the game in scoring with 24 points and also grabbed 21 rebounds - most by any player in a single game in this event. In the end, it came down to Lebanon being able to finish around the rim where their height gave them the advantage. Lebanon shot 44.4 percent from the field, while Korea shot only 35.4 percent. This game was big man Ku MingYo’s turn to shine as he recorded a double-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Kim Seungwoo tied Ku’s point total at 19 while also leading Korea with 3 three-pointers. Lebanon have played in the U16 Asian Championship three times prior to the 2018 edition and while they’ve always been able to finish among the top 8 teams, have never made it to the Semi-Finals. This win puts them in the history book in that regard, where they will now face Australia for a shot at making the Final. Moreover, advancing to the Semi-Finals of the U16 Asian Championship means a ticket to the U17 World Cup 2022 which will be played in Malaga, Spain from 2-10 July. This will be Lebanon’s first ever appearance in the flagship event, as they aim to keep making history from here on out. Lebanon joins New Zealand in qualifying for the U17 World Cup, as the Junior Tall Blacks also secured their ticket by beating Iran, 72-66, in the game earlier. The score was tight throughout the entire four quarters where New Zealand never led by more than 8 points, but they led for just over 38 minutes. Aside from the standard production from Nic Book (17 points, 8 rebounds) and Julius Halaifonnua (8 points, 9 rebounds), New Zealand got a boost from perimeter players Hunter Trego and Dante Mataketea as well. Both players combined for 32 points on 7 three-pointers with 8 assists and 6 steals in between. Aside from qualifying for a second straight U17 World Cup appearance, New Zealand will also face Japan for a shot at making their first Final appearance as well. Also in the quarterfinals, Japan survive a furious comeback run by India to win, 90-85 while  Australia spoil the Philippines valiant efforts by storming back in the second half to win, 109-83, and qualify for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup.  

Cherif and Ahmed enter last 16 of Beach Volleyball World Championships

ROME - Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan were among the first men’s teams to play their second match at the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rome Monday and the Qataris continue to make a strong impression at the Foro Italico. After starting their campaign in the Italian capital with a win over Paraguayans Roger Battilana and Gonzalo Melgarejo on Friday, the Qataris displayed an even stronger game to top Americans Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander in straight sets 21-14, 21-15 in their second Pool D match. The back-to-back victories have ensured the Qataris will be in the Round of 32 of the World Championship. Tomorrow, they will face French pair Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Youssef Krou and another victory will grant them the top spot in the Pool. “We’re playing better every match and that’s our goal,” Cherif said. “It wasn’t an easy match, it was the first time we played them and we didn’t know what to expect. We struggled a little bit at the beginning, but we had the strength to come back and ended the match really well. Our side out was good and our defensive strategy was perfect. Hopefully we can play even better in the next pool match.” The 27-year-old blocker had a dominant performance at the net against the Americans, producing six blocks, as well as nine kills, for his team. Solid in defence, Ahmed scored 15 points in kills. Ranked second in the FIVB World Rankings, Cherif and Ahmed are competing together at the World Championship for just the second time in their careers. The two finished 17th in Hamburg, Germany, in 2019. Also guaranteed a place in the Round of 32 are Brazil’s Andre Loyola/George Wanderley and Latvia’s Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins. The teams share the top spot in Pool E after the Brazilians defeated Austrians Alexander Huber and Christoph Dressler 2-1 (22-20, 21-23, 15-11) and the Latvians downed Iranians Bahman Salemi and Arash Vakili also in three sets (22-24, 21-15, 15-11). Pool B also has two teams already through in Dutch pair Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen, who prevailed over Mexicans Miguel Sarabia and Juan Virgen in straight sets (21-13, 21-15), and Estonians Kusti Nolvak and Mart Tiisaar, who also needed just two sets (21-13, 21-16) to handle Moroccans Mohamed Abicha and Soufiane El Gharouti. The Europeans have two victories each and cannot be caught by their opponents. Tuesday’s schedule will be lighter, featuring only 12 matches, and tomorrow, the last day of pool play at the Foro Italico, will feature the final 24 matches of the preliminary stage of the tournament. The tournament sees 48 teams per gender, distributed into 12 round-robin pools of four duos each. At the end of the pool phase, the top two teams in each pool and the best four third-placed pairs will advance to the elimination rounds. The remaining eight teams that rank third in their pools will play a four-match lucky-loser round to complete the 32 teams in the knockout bracket. The entire tournament will feature 216 matches across 10 days of competition.

Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championship gets underway at Aspire Dome

DOHA - The 9th Senior Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships got underway with team and all-Around competitions at the Aspire Dome on Wednesday. The competition was officially launched by Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) President Ali Ahmed Al Hitmi at a colourful opening ceremony. “We welcome you all to Qatar. We hope you’ll have a great stay in Doha and wish you success,” said Al Hitmi, who is also the First Vice-President at International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Some of the world’s and Asia’s top gymnasts will be looking to seal a berth for the 2022 FIG World Artistic Championships during the next three days. A total of 137 competitors from 21 countries are vying for top honours at the Asian event, which is being held in the Qatari capital after 2008. Day one featured competitions in men’s floor exercise, pommel horse, rings plus women’s vault and uneven bars. The men’s vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar and women’s balance beam and floor exercise events will unfold today. The Team and All-Around finals will also serve as qualifications for the apparatus finals, which will be held on days three and four. Five Asian teams of four gymnasts (MAG) including six from the All-Around competitions while four women teams of four gymnasts besides eight from All-Around events will be hoping to book a berth for the Worlds, scheduled to be held in Liverpool (United Kingdom) from 29 October to 6 November. According to FIG regulations for the Worlds, a total of 24 teams of five gymnasts for both MAG & WAG besides 40 individual MAG gymnasts from All-Around competitions and 49 for WAG will be eligible to qualify from the continental competitions. The outcome of the top teams (MAG and WAG) will be known after today’s events. Reigning champions China along with Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, central Asians Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia are among the 21 countries who are taking part in the competition.

China claim MAG, WAG, All-Around Asian titles

DOHA: Favourites China claimed MAG and WAG Team and All-Around titles at the 9th Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships at the Aspire Dome tonight.  At the end of two day's qualification-cum-finals, China wrapped up the proceedings with four gold, one silver and a bronze medal.        In the MAG team competition, Japan came second followed by Chinese Taipei while Cong Shi took the All-Around gold to maintain China's domination in the Asian competition.  Philippines' two-time world champion Carlos Yulo came second followed by Jiaxing Yang (CHN).  Earlier, Yulo topped the qualifying in the floor with 14.800 points and received the nod of the judges on rings with a 14.100 that translated to an all-around performance of 41.833, but Cong overtook him for the top honour in the late stages.  The Chinese women also left an indelible impression of their inherent talent. They topped the podium followed by South Korea and Japan.       Jin Zhang claimed the gold in the WAG All-Around followed by compatriot Xijing Tang and Japan's Yunseo Lee.    All the podium finishers along with fourth and fifth-placed teams qualified for the FIG Artistic World Championships scheduled to be held in Liverpool (United Kingdom) from 29 October to 6 November.  The Apparatus finals (MAG & WAG) will be held on Saturday and Sunday.      

New Zealand, Philippines, India, Lebanon complete cast of U16 Asian Championship quarterfinals

DOHA: The Quarter-Finals stage of FIBA U16 Asian Championship is set as New Zealand, Philippines, India, and Lebanon secured the tickets with their wins today. New Zealand were the first team to lock up their spot in the Quarter-Finals from today’s games with an easy win over Kuwait, 107-57. The twin towers of the Tall Blacks, Julius Halaifonua and Nic Book, were the top performers in this game for the victors, combining for 29 points and 21 rebounds. Halaifonua continues to impress and had a perfect game, going 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from the charity stripe. In the Quarter-Finals, New Zealand will be facing Iran who topped the competition in Group B. The next game saw the Philippines blitz their way past Kazakhstan, 83-60. Gilas Youth started strong with and built a sizable lead in the first half, allowing them to cruise along to the win in the end. The two teams struggled holding onto the ball with a combined 51 turnovers between both teams, but the Philippines were able to convert in transition on their way to the win. Jacob Bayla had an impressive all-around game with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 steals. Meanwhile, Danniil Severgin matched that with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 7 steals for Kazakhstan. The win sets up a clash between the Philippines and Australia in the Quarter-Finals. The two teams played against each other in the 2018 edition of the competition and will do so again here in Qatar with a strip to the Semi-Finals and the U17 World Cup on the line. India claim a win against Indonesia, 97-53, making history in the process. The two teams went toe to toe in the first quarter, but a 9-0 run in the second quarter opened a gap that India continued to build on towards a crushing win. There was no stopping the three-head monster of India: Jaideep Rathore, Lokendra Singh, and Kushal Sinngh. Lokendra exploded for what might be the most impressive game among all players so far in the competition with 30 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks. India’s win rewards them with a spot in the Quarter-Finals where they will face Japan. More importantly, it is the furthest an India squad has advanced at any U16 Asian Championship. Now, they are one more win away from another historic feat - a U17 World Cup berth. Lebanon claimed the last ticket to the Quarter-Finals with a win over the hosts Qatar, 78-54. The young Cedars started the game with a 20-9 first quarter and continued to build up the lead until the final buzzer. The key part of the game was Lebanon’s pressure defense as it forced Qatar to commit 23 turnovers which they converted into 30 points. The effort on the offensive board was important as well, as Lebanon corralled 19 rebounds on the offensive end for a total of 22 second-chance points. The stars in this game for Lebanon were Rayan Hachem (17 points), Karl Chris Zamatta (8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks), and Anthony Nabaa (13 points, 7 rebounds). Meanwhile, the Ndao brothers shined for the hosts once again. The younger Mohamed had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 blocks, while big brother Moustapha put in 15 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. Lebanon now advance to the Quarter-Finals where they will play against Korea, where they will play for an opportunity at a U17 World Cup debut.  

Qatar Olympic Committee hosts meeting between the IOC and Afghan Sport Representatives in Doha

Doha: The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) today hosted the second round of dialogue between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and representatives of the Afghan National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports. Qatar strongly believes in leveraging the power of sport to contribute to peace, stability, and sustainable development. QOC has gained exceptional knowledge and developed its capacity through close collaboration with the IOC and partners within the Olympic Movement. As a result, they are keen to offer knowledge sharing opportunities with the Asian Olympic Family to deliver on our collective goals.