Men's beach basketball 3X3 attracts capacity crowd at QOC Beach Games

Doha, December 25, 2020- The ongoing inaugural QOC Beach Games at the Aspire Park in Doha has continued to generate encouraging interests from the populace with increasing footfalls recorded daily with Friday's men's beach basketball 3X3 among the highest so far.Aside from the men's beach basketball 3X3, there were actions in two other events on the day - men's beach handball and the women's beach volleyball.A total of 12 matches were played in the four groups of the men's basketball 3X3 with each team involved in two games each. Al Waab, Al Ahlam, Al Dafna and Um Al Affai teams recorded victories in their games.Al Waab defeated Al Shammal 15-12 and The cure 21-12 respectively in Group A while Al Ahlam secured victories against Al Khor and Qatar Elite.Al Dafna edged Al Hilal 16-12 before trouncing Future Stars 17-15 in their Group C games while Um Al Affai got their wins against Al Gharafa (12-6) and Al Wakrah (14-12) respectively in Group D.In the men's beach handball, Al Khafji hammered Al Hazm 2-1 in Group B while the other Group B encounter between Al Ruwais and Al Nomor also ended 2-1 in favour of Al Nomor.In Group A, Al Soqour defeated Al Nosour 2-1 while Al Edaid won 2-0 against Al Fohoud.Meanwhile, in the women's beach volleyball, Al Maha secured their semi-finals berth with a 2-0 defeat of the Al Mahaba team. At the same time, Al Amal also triumphed over Qatar Academy with a straight-sets victory.Meanwhile, enthralling actions were witnessed in Thursday's men's beach football event with a penalty shootout deciding the winners between Doha Team and Al Shahaniya after the game had ended 3-3 draw in regulation time. In the end, Doha scored all their three penalties compared to Al Shahaniya's single goal to advance in the tournament.In the other encounters, Al Raheeb won 3-0 against Al Jasra while Al Ennabi walloped Al Wukair 7-0. However, the Al Ettihad versus Madinat Khalifa game ended 6-3 in Madinat Khalifa's favour.In the men's beach volleyball, Lusail defeated Al Jazeera 2-0 in Group B while Al Adaam also posted a straight-sets victory against Zekreet.On Saturday, the spectators will enjoy another round of exciting women's beach handball. The day's first match will be between Al Shaqab and Lusail at 4:00 pm while the Msheireb versus Yasminat Tunisia game follows immediately.Over 500 male and female athletes are participating in the maiden QOC Beach Games which will be held over two weeks until January 2, 2021.

Organisations, individuals honoured for 2030 bid success

Doha, December 25, 2020-The Qatar Olympic Committee held a celebration last evening in honour of organisations and individuals who played a role in Doha winning the bid to host the 2030 Asian Games. The ceremony was held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Doha 2030 Bid Committee.HE Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie, Minister of Municipality and Environment and Managing Director and CEO of Qatar Rail, HE Sheikh Saud bin Ali al-Thani, First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, President of the Qatar Football Association, HE Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee, HE Saad bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi, Chairman of The Public Works Authority (Ashghal), sports leaders, heads of federations and the media were among the dignitaries felicitated by HE Sheikh Joaan on the occasion.At the beginning of the ceremony, Sheikh Joaan praised those who worked hard to make the bid a success, saying he was proud of each one of them.“More than two months ago we submitted to the Olympic Council of Asia the Doha bid document in order for Qatar to host the Asian Games for the second time after hosting the “Games of your life" in 2006," Sheikh Joaan said.“And we meet tonight in celebration of this achievement where you proved your competence and lived up to the confidence that was placed in you to take on this national mission."Sheikh Joaan added: “This victory in reality is a promise that we made in the name of our beloved country for the sports community in Asia and even of the world, and it is no secret to all of us that this is only the beginning. We have a lot to accomplish in the coming days and years in order to fulfil our promises with our deep appreciation for everyone who stayed up and continued to work creatively and sincerely."He concluded by saying: “Brothers and sisters, we will embark on a new phase of continuous, serious and professional work starting from now. Our ambition has no limits especially as we work according to the strategy of achieving and building the national and continental heritage."

Feast of goals as 22 Youth Initiative team trounce A7 13-0 in ladies football event of QOC Beach Games

Doha, December 23, 2020-The ladies football event of the QOC Beach Games kicked off at the Aspire Park on Wednesday with two matches played in Group C.In the first match, the Seashore Ladies trounced the Qatar team 2-1 while the 22 Youth Initiative were simply in a world of their own as they took their Team A7 opponents to the cleaners, scoring an unbelievable 13 goals with no reply from the opposing side, in the second match of the day.Such was the gulf in the class between the two sides that play was pegged to the A7 half of the pitch, with the team barely touching the ball, for a long period in the game.Action resumes in the football event on Thursday, howbeit in the men's event, with Al Raheeb taking on Al Jasra while Team Doha clashes with Al Shahaniyah on Group B. In Group A, Al Ennabi will be up against Al Wukair while the last match of the day will be between Al Ettihad and Madinat Khalifa.Meanwhile, Al Maha and Al Amal secured their quarter-finals tickets of the ladies beach volleyball event after posting straight-set wins against Qatar Academy and Al Mahaba respectively.With the conclusion of the ladies beach volleyball event's group stages, attention has now shifted to the men's with two matches scheduled for Thursday. The first match will be the Group B encounter between Lusail and Al Jazeera at 5:00 pm while the second match, slated for 6:00 pm, will be Al Adaam versus Zekreet in Group A.Over 500 male and female athletes are participating in the first edition of the QOC Beach Games, a legacy for all members of the Qatari society from the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games, which will be held over two weeks until January 2, 2021.

Doha to kick off 2021 events with WTT Middle East Hub

Doha, December 23, 2020-World Table Tennis (WTT) is excited to announce that Doha, Qatar will host the WTT Middle East Hub, with two events to take place consecutively at the Lusail Sports Arena between 3 March – 13 March 2021.The brand-new series of events now becomes reality with WTT designed to revolutionise the sport. Players and fans are being positioned at the core of WTT's mission to drive table tennis into the future.MIDDLE EAST HUB – MAJOR DATES IN DOHA BROUGHT FORWARDThe Middle East Hub will feature two tiers of the new WTT event structure. A WTT Contender event will get the 2021 calendar under way before players move to the first WTT Star Contender event the following week, providing the perfect setting for some of the world's leading stars to be challenged by the best up-and-coming athletes in table tennis.The cancellation of the postponed 2020 World Table Tennis Championships that were to be held in Busan, has also provided WTT with the opportunity to move the Middle East Hub forward from its previously announced dates, granting players a chance to compete at WTT events earlier than originally planned. The confirmed dates of the individual events are:WTT Contender – Wednesday 3 March – Saturday 6 March 2021WTT Star Contender – Monday 8 March – Saturday 13 March 2021The proposed Hub format will create the best possible environment for WTT Series events to be held, ensuring better logistics for meeting COVID-19 health and safety guidelines and a manageable travel schedule for players. This format has been created based on both ITTF and WTT's recent successes of player and staff health and welfare at #RESTART and WTT Macao.QATAR COMMITTED TO WORLD TABLE TENNIS FUTUREQatar enjoys a significant and longstanding association with table tennis, with the President of the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) and ITTF Deputy President, Khalil Al-Mohannadi spearheading the nation's contributions to the sport.This year marked the 25th anniversary of the ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open, one of the most prestigious events on the ITTF calendar, consistently attracting the world's best players and offering among the highest prize money on the tour.Qatar will continue to play a key role in the future of the sport, as the nation prepares to host the first-ever WTT Hub after committing to payment of the full WTT hosting fee and ensuring the events will be delivered in line with ITTF/WTT Covid-19 Protocols.“We are honoured to be hosting the first-ever WTT events in Qatar. We have made many special table tennis memories over the years and we cannot wait to kick off the WTT era on our shores. This confirms Doha as a truly global sports hub and demonstrates the QTTA's commitment to establishing WTT." said Khalil Al-Mohannadi, QTTA President and ITTF Deputy President.“Congratulations to Doha upon becoming host of the WTT Middle East Hub. As one of the most established host cities on the international table tennis circuit, Doha is certain to bring the first WTT events of the year to life." said Liu Guoliang, WTT Council Chair and CTTA President.WTT CONFIRMS ADDITIONAL PRIZE MONEY FOR MIDDLE EAST HUBThe new table tennis era also heralds a landmark moment for the sport with all event prize money funded and paid to players exclusively by WTT.To launch the WTT era, the WTT Board has approved the prize money levels for the Middle East Hub, with these two events offering a combined prize pool of USD 600K.“We have made no secret about our desire to take table tennis to the next level through WTT. It is exciting that Doha is set to continue delivering world-class WTT events. We realise it will be another impacted year in 2021 with a limited number of events, however the additional prize money for Doha shows we will deliver on our promise and proves how we at the ITTF and WTT are motivated to grow prize money for our most important stakeholder in our sport – the athletes." said Steve Dainton, WTT Director and ITTF CEO.

Al Shaqab ladies trounce Msherieb in straight sets to secure quarter-finals ticket of ladies beach volleyball at QOC Beach Games

​Doha, December 22, 2020-Al Shaqab team proved too hot for the Msherieb ladies to handle on Tuesday as they trounced their opponents in straight sets (2-0) to book a place in the quarter-finals of the ladies beach volleyball event of the ongoing inaugural Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Beach Games.With the victory, the Al Shaqab team have now recorded three wins in as many matches in Group C. They had defeated the Lusail and Yasminat of Tunisia teams 2-0 and 2-1 on Monday.The highly organised team wowed the enthusiastic fans at the Aspire Zone, the tournament venue, with their well-coordinated performance and impressive teamwork as they dominated the game right from the blast of the whistle to the delight of their coaching crew.Going by current form, the team is the huge favourite to win the tournament, and they are expected to repeat the same performance on Friday in their last-eight encounter.In the other matches of the day, Yasminat of Tunisia overcame the Lusail team 2-1 in Group C while the Group B game between Al Amal and the Elite team ended in straight sets (2-0) for Al Amal.In Group A, Al Maha was the better side in their clash against Al Salam as they claimed a 2-0 victory to round up the day's proceedings.Actions continue on Wednesday in both the ladies beach volleyball and the ladies beach football events. In the volleyball event, Al Maha will be up against Qatar Academy in Group A at 5:00 pm while the Group B encounter will be between Al Amal and Al Mahaba at 6:00 pm.For the ladies beach football, spectators will have the opportunity of witnessing amazing football skills as Seashore go up against Qatar in the first match of the day at 6:30 pm. Meanwhile, 22 Youth Initiative will clash with A7 an hour later.Over 500 male and female athletes are participating in the first edition of the QOC Beach Games, a legacy for all members of the Qatari society from the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games, which will be held over two weeks until January 2, 2021.

Ladies beach volleyballers wow fans on Day 2 of maiden QOC Beach Games

Doha, December 21, 2020-The second day of the inaugural edition of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Beach Games witnessed actions in the ladies beach volleyball event at the Aspire Zone in Doha on Monday with the crowd yearning for more.In Beach Handball, Msherieb were dominant in their two matches of the day as they posted a 2-0 result against Yasminat of Tunisia and the Lusail teams respectively to maintain a 100 percent record at the tournament while the Al Shaqab team, on the other hand, trounced Lusail 2-0 before defeating Yasminat of Tunisia 2-1.In Beach Volleyball, Qatar Academy won their Group A match against Al Salam 2-1 while Al Mahaba ended up as winners against the Elite team in Group B with the game ending 2-0. In the Beach Football encounter between Seashore and A7, the Seashore ladies were the better side as they won 13-0 while Qatar team also emerged victorious against the 22 Youth Initiative team in the other match, winning 3-2.Over 500 male and athletes are participating in the first edition of the QOC Beach Games, a legacy for all members of the Qatari society from the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games, which will be held over two weeks until January 3, 2021.Participants will be competing in four events namely football, handball, volleyball and 3X3 basketball, and the community activity is aimed at promoting beach sports in Qatar as well as encourage individuals to more outstanding standards of health and physical fitness.The country successfully hosted the maiden edition of the ANOC World Beach Games in Doha in 2019 with over 150 countries represented.