Ali Al-Hitmi elected First Vice President of International Gymnastics Federation

Antalya: In a new achievement for Qatari sports, President of Qatar Gymnastics Federation Ali Al-Hitmi was elected First Vice President of the International Gymnastics Federation during the elections that took place on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting held today in Antalya, Turkey.  After the elections, Ali Al-Hitmi said that his achievement will be recorded in sports history as a victory for the State of Qatar and all Arabs in gymnastics. "I am very happy for this precious confidence that I obtained from the members of the General Assembly of the International Gymnastics Federation, who voted for me. " he added.   Al-Hitmi also stressed that his success at today's election is a result for the fruitful efforts made by the Qatar Olympic Committee, chaired by H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, and his great support for sports in the country. The First Vice-President of the International Gymnastics Federation confirmed that the sports world is well aware of the value of the State of Qatar, which helped the members of the General Assembly give their votes to the candidate of the State of Qatar, adding that the support of Arab colleagues and their standing together with the only Arab candidate had had a good effect in achieving success, which is a matter of pride for me and for them. Concluding, Al-Hitmi expressed his wish to live up to the expectations of all members of the General Assembly of the International Gymnastics Federation, and to work with them to promote the culture of this sport more and more and develop it in the Middle East.   

Stage set for Padel World Championship

Doha: Qatar is set to host the Padel World Championship this month for the first time in Asia and the GCC region. The championship will be staged at Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex from November 15-20, 2021 with participation of 320 players from 16 nations.  The Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF) announced that TotalEnergies will be the gold sponsors of the Padel World Championship. A partnership signing ceremony between QTSBF and TotalEnergies took place on Thursday and in attendance were QTSBF Secretary General Tariq Zainal and Matthieu Bouyer, Managing Director of TotalEnergies. “It is my pleasure to announce that TotalEnergies will be the gold sponsors of the Padel World Championship,” QTSBF Secretary General Tariq Zainal said while speaking at the press conference. “We are superbly excited for the championship and I take this opportunity to extend sincere thanks to all our sponsors,” he said.  Zainal said TotalEnergies and QTSBF have a long association while thanking them for the valuable support for the Padel World Championship. “TotalEnergies have supported squash and tennis events in the past by associating us as sponsors, so we have had a long association and we wish to thank them for their continued support to our activities and tournaments,” said the QTSBF official. The partnership he said reflects the commitment of the QTSBF and TotalEnergies to support a healthy lifestyle in Qatar.  “The hosting of the Padel World Championship in Qatar will increase the popularity of the sport not just in Qatar but the entire Middle East and we are looking forward to an exceptional championship,” he said.  “Padel, as a sport, is making its presence felt almost all over the country, with the game being played at various clubs and stadiums and at the recreational facilities of some of the leading hotels. We are looking forward to the Championship and some high quality games during the championship,” he added. Zainal said preparations to host the championship are on track and was optimistic that it will be an exceptional championship.  “It will be a great event with many players from different nations participating. Preparations are on track and all the players, officials and everybody from the Padel family will have a thrilling and enjoyable championship,” he added The Padel World Championship will be another feather in the cap for QTSBF, which has been an organising top tennis and squash tournament over the years.  

Sanchez names Qatar squad for European qualifiers

Doha: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez named a 27-member squad yesterday for the country’s last two matches in the FIFA World Cup 2022 European qualifiers  Qatar, who are competing as a guest nation in Europe, will take on Serbia on November 11 and Azerbaijan on November 14. Placed in Group A, Qatar’s matches are considered friendlies as they seek experience against tougher opponents in the run-up to the World Cup. The core of the team remains the same as the one that travelled for matches against Portugal and the Republic of Ireland last month. Akram Afif, who missed Al Sadd’s last two matches due to a hamstring strain, has been included in the squad. The squad: Saad Al Sheeb, Meshaal Barsham, Youssef Hassan, Salah Zakaria, Pedro Miguel, Abdelkarim Hassan, Boualem Khoukhi, Bassam Al Rawi, Sultan Al Brake, Tarek Salman, Ismail Mohammed, Jasem Gaber, Homam Al Amin, Musab Khedir, Karim Boudiaf, Abdulaziz Hatem, Abdullah Al Ahrak, Ali Asad, Yousef Abdurisag, Mohammed Waad, Khalid Muneer, Assim Madibo, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Hassan Al Haydos, Akram Afif, Muhammed Muntari and Almoez Ali.  

Qatar defeat Saudi Arabia in International Handball Championship

Doha:  Qatar national handball team defeated Saudi Arabia 25-18 on Thursday in the Qatar International Friendly Handball Championship, organized by Qatar Handball Association until Saturday. The championship brings together Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iran. In the other match held on Thursday, Kuwait overpowered Iran 32-27.  The event comes in light of the preparation for the 2022 AHF Asian Handball Championship. Qatar won the 19th Asian Handball Championship held in Kuwait after defeating Korea Republic 33-21 in the final match.  

Qatar to take on Saudi Arabia in International Handball Championship

Doha:  Qatar national handball team will face Saudi Arabia on Thursday in the Qatar International Friendly Handball Championship, organized by Qatar Handball Association until Saturday. The championship brings together Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iran. On Tuesday, Qatar defeated Kuwait 32-19 and Iran beat Saudi Arabia 26-24. The event comes in light of the preparation for the 2022 AHF Asian Handball Championship. Qatar won the 19th Asian Handball Championship held in Kuwait after defeating Korea Republic 33-21 in the final match. 

Curtains come down on Schools Olympic Program 2020-2021

DOHA – Curtains came  on the 14th edition competitions  of  the Schools Olympic Program (SOP) 2020 – 2021 , which was concluded at the headquarters of the  Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) on Monday. The closing  ceremony was attended by the SOP senior organizers , the teaching staff of primary, preparatory and secondary schools and students. During  medal ceremony, top three winners in both teams and individuals categories  of the  Virtual Marathon from primary, preparatory and secondary schools (boys and girls) were crowned respectively.  In a festive school atmosphere,  Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al-Thani, Chairman of the SOP Organizing Committee,  Mrs. Sheikha Al Qahtani, member of SOP Organizing Committee and Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Muftah,  Executive Director of Qatar School Sports Association crowned the top winners. In a post-event statement on Monday, Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al-Thani, Chairman of the SOP Organizing Committee said that COVID-19 pandemic has imposed new reality and challenges , forced us to turn  into virtual competitions in order to keep everyone safe.  “ We are truly happy  to see around  1900 students (boys and girls) from 30 school from different learning stages  participated in the Virtual Marathon, which received widescale turnout and made our goals achievable , so we hope this program to be a pillar for us when we host 2030 Asian Games” Added Sheikh Khalifa. The SOP aims to promote a culture of sport among students and engage the entire community in active and healthy lifestyles while retaining local values and traditions.