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We are ready to host 2020 Wanda Doha Diamond League: QAF President
Doha, September 22, 2020-The Organizing Committee of the 2020 Wanda Doha Diamond League, the fourth round of the Diamond League, announced full readiness to host the international sporting event scheduled to be held on Friday evening, with the participation of a large number of champions on the field and track of the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar Sports Club.At a press conference held by the committee Tuesday, HE President of Qatar Athletics Federation and Chairman of the Organizing Committee Dr Thani bin Abdulrahman al-Kuwari affirmed that the preparations for this exceptional event, which will take place in light of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, have been completed and with no public attendance. He pointed out that the organizing committee accepted this challenge and cooperated with all concerned agencies and the Ministry of Public Health to put in place all appropriate precautionary measures in order to ensure the success of the tournament as done every year.Organizing the championship at this time confirms to the whole world the extent of Qatar's ability to host international events even in the most difficult circumstances, given its advanced health system and great organizational capacity as recongised by all, he added.Dr al-Kuwari stressed that hosting this Doha Diamond League round will be the first and last in the Middle East region this year, and confirms the confidence of the world's champions in the measures taken by Qatar to ensure the safety of everyone and ensure the success of the global event. It also sends messages to the world that the global capital of sport always meets the expectations of athletes around the world in all circumstances.The President of Qatar Athletics Federation thanked all state agencies and the Ministry of Public Health for the contribution and co-operation to host this global event after it was postponed several times this year due to the epidemic that is affecting the whole world, but they are committed to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), and it was agreed with them on September 25. He pointed out that this championship is the tenth edition that is successfully organized by the Athletics Federation annually.For his part, Advisor Consultant to the Minister of Public Health Dr Abdul Wahab al-Musleh affirmed that Qatar possesses capabilities in the field of health that qualify it to confront diseases, and because it has become a global hub for hosting international sporting events, exceptional measures have been taken at the highest level through the protocol of the Ministry of Public Health to achieve the required safety and ensure success in the championship.He pointed out that coordination has been made with the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Qatar Athletics Federation and a special protocol has been drawn up for such tournaments, stressing that the Qatari Federation and the organizing committee of the tournament have implemented all precautionary measures. Those arrived in the country were put in the hotel quarantine and have been examined and will also be examined before they go out to participate in the competitions on Friday to make sure that everyone is free from Covid-19, and it was agreed with the organizing committee that the participating champions will not leave the hotel except when they go to the stadium of the Qatar Sports Club that will host the competitions, whether to conduct exercises or participate in competitions.For his part, tournament director Khalid al-Marri affirmed that the Doha Diamond League meeting this year comes at a very delicate timing, indicating that it was held annually on the first of May and at the beginning of the Diamond League rounds, but it was postponed this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. He added that the Doha edition is only fourth and last round this year of more than 14 rounds that were supposed to be held around the world.Al-Marri explained that this year's edition will see the participation of 117 athletes and runners, including 10 medalists of the Olympic Games (Rio 2016) and 17 medalists of the last World Athletics Championships (Doha 2019).Regarding the Qatari participation in the championship, al-Marri said that Musab Abdul Rahman and Hamza Darwish will participate in the 1500-meter main race, while Mohammed al-Qarni and Yasser Baghrab will participate in the 1500-meter race (B). Abdulaziz Salem will participate in the 200-meter race and Jamal Hayran, the Asian champion, will take part in the 800-meter race.On the most prominent world and Olympic champions who will participate in the championship, al-Marri said that the Jamaican Elaine Thompson, Olympic champion in sprints on two occasions, tops the list of stars participating in the women's 100 meters race.
27 Olympic and World medallists to take the stage in Doha
Doha, September 22, 2020- Ten Olympic medallists from Rio 2016 and 17 World Championship medallists from Doha 2019 will star at the Wanda Doha Diamond League on Friday 25 September 2020.Across a high-quality programme, event highlights are expected to include the men's pole vault and 1500m, and the women's 100m and 3000m.In the men's pole vault, world record holder Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) - World Championships silver medallist in Doha 2019 - will again be the one to watch.Having set an outright world record of 6.18m at the World Indoor Tour meeting in Glasgow in February, he is now officially the best vaulter in history following his incredible 6.15m clearance at the WandaRome Diamond League on 17 September. His outdoor best exceeds Sergey Bubka's previous record of 6.14m which stood for a remarkable 26 years.Duplantis is joined in Doha by reigning world champion Sam Kendricks (USA), in addition to London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Renaud Lavillenie (France).The men's 1500m includes Olympic and world 3000mSC champion Conseslus Kipruto (Kenya), world silver medallists over 5000m (Selemon Barega) and 3000mSC (Lamecha Girma), both Ethiopia, and world 3000mSC bronze medallist Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco).Double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica) and multiple World Champion-ships medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou (Ivory Coast) will go head-to-head in the women's 100m.Thompson-Herah's 10.85 season's best - set at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome - is the fastest time of the year to date.Olympic silver medallist Dafne Schippers (Netherlands) has withdrawn.In the women's 3000m, an exciting field brings together Kenyan quartet Hellen Obiri and Beatrice Chepkoech, 2019 world champions over 5000m and 3000mSC respectively, in addition to Olympic 3000mSC silver medallist Hyvin Kiyeng; world 5000m runner-up Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi; world 1500m bronze medallist Gudaf Tsegay (Ethiopia); and world 10,000m bronze medallist Agnes Jebet Tirop (Kenya).Obiri, Olympic 5000m silver medallist and 2019 World Cross Country champion, proved her recent good form with a world-leading 14:22.12 to win the 5000m at the Wanda Monaco Diamond League in August.In total, six reigning world champions and three reigning Olympic champions will return to Doha for the Wanda Doha Diamond League.In addition to those noted above, Timothy Cheruiyot (Kenya), world 1500m champion, will race over 800m.The 24-year-old, who has a best of 1:43.11 from August 2019, clocked an impressive 3:28.45 to win the 1500m in Monaco, just four one-hundredths of a second outside his lifetime best. Mike Rodgers (USA), 4 x 100m world relay gold medallist, will line up in the 100m.Faith Kipyegon (Kenya), Olympic 1500m champion, will star in the women's 800m. The 2017 world 1500m champion, runner-up in Doha 2019, set a national record of 2:29.15 for 1000m in Monaco, narrowly missing the world record for the rarely-run distance.“In spite of incredibly challenging circumstances, I'm proud of the fantastic fields we've put together for this event," says Khalid Al Marri, Wanda Doha Diamond League Meeting Director.“It's been a tough summer for everyone, yet we've witnessed some exceptional track and field performances. I'm confident that in Doha, the fourth and final competitive meeting of this short-ened 2020 Wanda Diamond League series, that we'll provide a fitting finale."Doha's Qatar Sports Club will host the revised 12-event programme for the Wanda Doha Diamond League which includes sprint hurdles and 800m for both men and women; 100m, 3000m and long jump for women; and 200m, 400m, 1500m and pole vault for men.Due to the impact of Covid-19, the 2020 Wanda Diamond League does not form a structured series of events leading to a final and athletes will not earn Diamond League points this season.
Qatar to host 2021 Asian Table Tennis Championships
Doha, September 20, 2020-The state of Qatar will stage the 2021 Men's and Women's Asian Table Tennis Championships, it was announced yesterday. The Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) yesterday confirmed the much-sought after event will be held in September next year.The new decision has been confirmed following the withdrawal of China and India who were part of the bidding race.Qatar hosted the same event in 2000 and will now stage the Asian championships for the second time.Khalil bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi, President of QTTA and Arab Table Tennis Federation, said: "We will have the honour to host the best players of the region especially the ones from East Asian countries like China, Japan, India, Hong Kong, China Taipei and South Korea. So it will be like a mini-world championship.""We are very happy with the honor that the State of Qatar has been chosen as the hosts for the second time. I thank the members of the General Assembly for choosing us after China and India quit the race." he added.Al Mohannadi expressed the hope that the new generation of Qatari table tennis players will benefit from this historic hosting."I am confident that our youth come will into contact with the best-ranked players in the region," Al Mohannadi, who is also the First Vice Presidents of the Asian and International Table Tennis Federations, said. "Also, it will be another opportunity for Qatar to host yet another world-class event. We have top-notch sporting infrastructure in Qatar," he added.Al Mohanndi confirmed Doha will also host the next Annual General Assembly of the ITTF during the same week.Doha has been hosting the Qatar Open table tennis event for more than two decades.
Qatar Anti-Doping Commission holds a training workshop for Qatar Handball Team
Doha, September 15, 2020-The Qatar Anti-Doping Commission held a training workshop for the players of Qatar national handball team.The workshop briefed the players on the World Anti-Doping Code and International Standards in addition to the list of prohibited substances and the side effects of nutritional supplements.The workshop also highlighted the athletes' rights and duties and cases of therapeutic use exemption.The Qatar Anti-Doping Commission held a similar workshop for the players of Qatar equestrian and modern pentathlon national teams in addition to two online workshops for anti-doping offers and Qatar squash national teams.
Doha re-match for World Championships podium trio
Doha, Septemer 11, 2020-2019 World Championship medallists Sam Kendricks (USA), Mondo Duplantis (SWE) and Piotr Lisek (POL), in addition to London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Renaud Lavillenie (FRA), will battle it out in the pole vault at the Wanda Doha Diamond League on Friday 25 September 2020.It's an impressive field deserving of a global final.Two-time world champion Kendricks is the Rio 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallist. He finished second to Duplantis with a 6.02m jump in the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on 2 September, the second highest vault of his career.World record holder Duplantis, runner-up to Kendricks in Doha and European champion (2018), is in outstanding form.His exceptional indoor season – which peaked with an incredible 6.18m clearance in Glasgow in February – has continued outdoors, and he jumped a national outdoor record and world lead of 6.07m, the best outdoor vault in the world for 26 years, to take the victory in the fading light of Lausanne.Lisek was second to Kendricks in London and third behind Kendricks and Duplantis in Doha. He has a season's best of 5.90m from the Wiesław Maniak Memorial in Szczecin on 16 August.Lavillenie, the most experienced of the quartet, backed up his London triumph with Olympic silver in Rio 2016 and over the last decade has won a multitude of global medals.In addition to their pole vault achievements in competitive international events, Kendricks, Duplantis and Lavillenie brought live sport back during lockdown in the inaugural 'Ultimate Garden Clash' in May.The contest, devised by the three vaulters, was a race to see who could produce the most 5.00m vaults within a 30-minute period, all from the comfort and safety of their own back gardens.Kendricks said: “We've had fun this summer going right back to our back garden meet in May, but after some solid blocks of training, it's been great to get back out and compete with these guys on the circuit."Duplantis, unbeaten this season to date, said: “After Lausanne I was desperate to get back out and compete, I felt like I was in the zone and it's hard to take a step back in those situations, but I had to play safe.“I'm excited to compete in Doha and to continue this season. After a delayed start we're all getting into good shape so this should be a great competition. I love pole vault – we all do – and when we compete against each other we really push each other on, it brings out the best of us."Doha's Qatar Sports Club will host the revised 12-event programme - the fourth and final competitive meeting of the truncated 2020 Wanda Diamond League season - which includes sprint hurdles and 800m for both men and women; 100m, 3000m and long jump for women; and 200m, 400m, 1500m and pole vault for men.Due to the impact of Covid-19, the 2020 Wanda Diamond League does not form a structured series of events leading to a final and athletes will not earn Diamond League points this season.
Draw held for IHF Men’s World Championship
Doha, September 6, 2020-The 2021 IHF Men's World Championship draw was completed at the Giza Pyramids Plateau in Egypt this evening. In a star-studded event in front of the spectacular Giza Pyramids and Sphinx, guests were treated to a wide variety of entertainment along with reveal of the championship mascot, Horus.IHF Commission of Organising and Competition (COC) Chairperson Per Bertelsen and IHF Competitions Director Patric Strub conducted the draw, assisted by senior Egypt players Ali Zein and captain Ahmed Elahmar, and Egypt's 2019 IHF Men's Youth World Championship winners, Abdelrahman Mohamed Homayed and Hassan Walid Ahmed.As hosts, Egypt had the right to choose which group they were drawn into, and selected Group G.IHF Men's World Championship debutants Uruguay and Cape Verde find themselves in a tough group, Group A, with European sides Germany and Hungary, both of whom finished inside the top 10 at the 2020 Men's EHF EURO.Group B saw the very first team drawn this evening, Wild Card side Poland, who won bronze at the 2015 IHF Men's World Championship, face Spain, who they beat in that match, alongside Tunisia and Brazil. Poland will co-host the 2023 IHF Men's World Championship with Sweden.Just one European side are in Group C – continental silver medallists Croatia, where they will face 2020 Olympic Games hosts Japan, Angola and Asian champions Qatar.Another debutant, DR Congo, goes up against Bahrain, who recently announced the German Michael Roth as their new coach, current world champions Denmark, and Argentina in Group D.A rematch of the 2017 IHF Men's World Championship final between France and Norway is guaranteed in Group E, with the two sides joined by Austria and a qualifier from the North America and the Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC). Group F sees Morocco and Algeria meet again, after the Algerians beat their North African rivals – and neighbours – at the 2020 CAHB Men's African Championship in Tunisia in January. They are joined by European sides Portugal, who return to World Championship for the first time since 2003, and 2008 Olympic Games bronze medallists Iceland.The one nation who knows what it is like to win an IHF Men's World Championship in Egypt – Sweden, in 1999 – are in Group G, where the 2023 IHF Men's World Championship joint hosts will face 2021 hosts Egypt, Czech Republic – returning to the World Championship for the first time since 2005 – and the South and Central America qualifier winner, set to be known in November.The final group, Group H, features another Wild Card – Russia – who lost that final in 1999 go up against 2017 IHF Men's World Championship bronze medallists Slovenia, Asian runners-up Republic of Korea and 10th-placed finisher at the EURO 2020, Belarus.
