Team Qatar claim Asian Men's Handball Championship title

Dammam: Team Qatar claimed their fifth consecutive Asian Men's Handball Championship after a commanding 29-24 victory over Bahrain in the final at Ministry of Sports Hall in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on Monday.  With the title win, Qatar, who also won 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 editions, equaled South Korea’s record of five straight titles in the continental event.  The first half saw intense action, with Qatar lead 14-11 at the breather. Team Qatar put up a dominating show in the second half to seal a historic win.  Earlier on Monday, hosts Saudi Arabia secured a bronze medal after a 26-23 win over Iran in the third position play-off.  The Asian Championship was also serving as a qualifier for World Championship, offering the top five teams of the event berths for the global competition to be staged jointly by Poland and Sweden next year.  

France’s Borel, Estonia’s Lehis win Qatar Epee Grand Prix 2022

Doha: France's world champion Yannick Borel and Estonia’s Katrina Lehis took individual gold medals at the 2022 Qatar Fencing Epee Grand Prix in Doha. The event, which took place at Aspire Dome brought together 304 athletes from 45 countries.  In the final match of individual men’s epee, Borel faced teammate Aymerick Gally, winning with a 15-10 score. Gally beat Italy’s Federico Vismara in the semifinals, 15-6, and Borel defeated Italy’s Davide Di Veroli, 15-9.  Of note, French Olympic champion Romain Cannone lost in the quarterfinals to Borel, 15-5, and Hungarian world champion Gergely Siklosi lost against Di Veroli in the round of 16, 15-12. In women’s individual epee, Lehis won in the final round against teammate Nelli Differt, 15-11. Differt beat another teammate, Erika Kirpu, in the semifinal round, 12-11, and Lehis won against France’s Marie-Florence Candassamy, 15-14.  Of note, Candassamy beat Ukrainian Olympic champion Yana Shemyakina in the quarterfinals, 15-9  

Sheikh Joaan meets Chinese Ambassador

Doha: The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani met with the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Qatar, Zhou Jian, on Sunday. During the meeting, bilateral relations between the two countries were reviewed. The meeting was attended by the QOC Secretary-General H.E. Jassim bin Rashid Al-Buenain. Also, in attendance were the Counsellor Chen Yue and Head of Political Section at the Chinese Embassy Yang Bin.  

2022 Qatar Epee Grand Prix gets underway

Doha: The 2022 Qatar Epee Grand Prix began at Aspire Dome on January 28. The three-day brings together 304 players from 45 countries. The Qatari national team is represented in the men's category by Muhammad al-Hazaa, Muhammad al-Olan, Mishaal al-Qahtani and Jaber al-Fadaq, and in the women's category by Zhikrayat al-Abdullah, Wadha al-Abdullah, Haya Diab and Sarah Diab. Khalid Al Hamadi, Secretary General of the Qatar Fencing Federation stressed that the event is held under strict precautionary measures and thanked the officials of Aspire Academy for their contribution to organizing this year's edition of the tournament.

2022 Qatar Epee Grand Prix to conclude on Sunday

Doha: The 2022 Qatar Epee Grand Prix will be concluded at Aspire Dome on January 30. The three-day brings together 304 players from 45 countries. The Qatari national team is represented in the men's category by Muhammad al-Hazaa, Muhammad al-Olan, Mishaal al-Qahtani, Adnan Sayyed and Jaber al-Fadaq. World number 228 Marta Ferrari created a major upset after she beat France’s Camille Nabeth in the qualifying round of the women’s epee competition. The Italian beat Nabeth, who is ranked 134 places higher, 15-14 in a thrilling duel to progress to the main round. Ferrari now faces a round-of-64 bout against Estonian star Katrina Lehis. Lehis is coming off the back of a stunning 2021 which saw her take gold in the team epee and bronze in the individual event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Qatar Fencing Federation Secretary General Khalid Issa Al Hammadi was heaped with praises from the International Fencing Federation (FIE) for its excellent organisation of the Grand Prix Qatar Fencing, currently underway here.  “We received praises from FIE for the good organisation and preparation of this edition,” said Al Hammadi.

Team Qatar qualify to Asian Handball Championship final

Dammam: Team Qatar qualified to the final match of the 2022 Asian Handball Championship after beating Iran 34-19 in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Qatar will meet Bahrain in the title showdown on Monday. Team Qatar already booked their spot at the 2023 World Men's Handball Championship to be held in Poland/Sweden by entering the Asian Championship semifinals on Wednesday. The Asian champions made the cut for their fifth straight time after 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 editions.