Ireland's Michael Young wins Qatar Open Amateur Championship

DOHA, February 23, 2020 - Ireland's Michael Young hit an eagle and three birdies in a final round of 71 for a three-over-par 219 to win the Qatar Open Amateur Championship in Doha on Saturday.Overnight leader Tom Santa of France had a miserable birdie-less afternoon, which included four bogeys and a double bogey, and finished with six-ever-par 222 at Doha Golf Club Course and Young took full advantage to take the towering trophy and most importantly a ticket to the European Tour Commercial Bank Qatar Masters starting at Education City Golf Course on March 5."I am very happy to have won. This is my first victory of the year," Young told Doha Stadium Plus after the win. "I didn't think it was going to be my week, especially with the way I was playing. But this is golf, you never know what can happen. So, all in all, I am very happy."Young conceded he did not play as good as he wanted, but Santa's disappointing show helped his cause. "I knew the conditions were good, I knew there was the opportunity to play well but I wasn't putting well so I thought it was going to be really difficult for me to win. But I ground it out and with the help from the others. You know Tom did not have a very good day and that made a very big difference," said Young, adding that his main aim was to play in the Qatar Masters."I am excited about playing in the Qatar Masters, big time. That's why I came over. For the opportunity to play on the European Tour. I am going to take full advantage of it and hopefully play well," he said.Australian Joshua Greer, Qatar's Saleh Al Kaabi and Ali Al Shahrani all finished on 224 to take third, fourth and fifth positions.Meanwhile in the professional division, which witnessed exciting battles on all three days, South African Mathiam Keyser carded a flawless 65 in the final round to snatch the title with an 11 under par 205.Niklas Lemke of Sweden took second with 207 after a final round of 69 while overnight leader Brandon Robinson Thomson of UK had to settle for third after a 73 on the final day left him with 208.Along with Young, Keyser, Lemke and Robinson Thomson also booked their berths at the Qatar Masters while Al Kaabi and Jaham Al Kuwari will represent Qatar at the prestigious event.

Tomecek wins skeet gold in Qatar Open Shotgun Championships

Doha, February 23, 2020- Jakub Tomecek of Czech Republic claimed the gold medal of men's skeet event at Qatar Open Shotgun Championships being held at Lusail International Shooting Complex until February 29, 2020. The event brings together 220 shooters from 35 nations. Ben Llevelin of Great Britain took the second place ahead of Milos Slavicek of Czech Republic in the third place. In women's event, Danka Bartekova of Slovakia clinched the gold medal. Amber Hill of Great Britain and Lucie Anastassiou of France took the second and third places respectively.

Mixed skeet event concludes at Qatar Open Shotgun Championships

​Doha, February 24, 2020- Mixed Skeet competitions were concluded successfully on Sunday at the prestigious Qatar Open Shotgun Championships 2020 taking place at the Lusail International Shooting Complex.Around 9 shooting teams have shown impressive performance and tough competition in the Mixed skeet event on Sunday.The duo Nicolas Baguio (Peru) and Francesca Cavito (Chile ) claimed the first place, while the runners-up place was grabbed by Kazakh duo, Alexander Yakhchico and Anastasia Mankonova, while the third place went to Amin Gofrov and Noor Lana Gofrof from Azerbaijan.At the event's victory ceremony on Sunday , Abdulla Ali Al Motawa Al Hammadi, Head of Media Committee and board member of the Federation and Ali Saieed Al Manae, Head of teams committee crowned the top winners in a festive sport scene.The event is bringing together 220 shooters from 35 nations.

Defending champion Mertens advances in Qatar Total Open

Doha, February 24, 2020-Defending champion Elise Mertens of Belgium, the World No. 22, started her Qatar Total Open 2020 campaign on a winning note with a straight-sets 6-1, 6-2 defeat of China's Qiang Wang while her compatriot Alison Van Uytvanck also booked a place in the second round after thumping Slovenian Polona Hercog 6-2, 6-2 in just 63 minutes.Mertens, the Belgian number one, will next face either Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or the Kazakh's Yulia Putintseva in the next round.Meanwhile, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, the first Arab woman to make it to a Grand Slam singles quarter-final after knocking out China's Wang Qiang in the fourth round of this year's Australian Open, had a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Czech's Katerina Siniakova.The tournament, however, started badly for French women's tennis with the eliminations of Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia in the first round. Russia's Veronika Kudermova accounted for the (7-6 [6], 0-6, 6-3) defeat of Mladenovic while Bernarda Pera, a qualifier, eliminated Garcia (6-3, 6-1).In the other matches, 2018 finalist Garbine Muguruza, the 11th seed, won 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 against Russia's Daria Kasatkina, while Czech's Karolina Muchova, a quarter-finalist at last year's Wimbledon, posted a 6-3,6-1 win over Magda Linette of Poland.

QOC Athletes Commission organizes Athlete 365 Career+ Outreach Workshop

DOHA, February 24, 2020 - The Athletes Commission of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) has organized Athlete365 Career + Outreach Workshop at the Qatar Olympic Academy from February 23-24, 2020.Career+ is a programme that empowers athletes to maximise their education and employment opportunities and helps them stride confidently into a dual or post-sports career. It supports athletes at all stages of their career, helping them discover their potential and plan for their life beyond the world of competitive sport through a blend of advice, training and peer-to-peer learning.The former team Qatar swimmer and workshop lecturer Nada Arkaji said that the Career+ is an IOC Athletes' Commission initiative and is delivered with The Adecco Group.“The training program featured the participation of 15 athletes who participated in Olympic Games. These workshops are used as the first step to create awareness and education about the athletes' future transition to life after sport" she added.Launched in 2005, the ACP helps elite and Olympic athletes successfully manage the difficult transition from sport to a new career, through professional development and job placement support.By 2014, the programme has supported more than 22,000 elite athletes from over 100 countries and five continents with training and job placements.

Draw held for Qatar Total Open

DOHA, February 22, 2020- Seven of the WTA's Top 10 will take to the courts in Doha for the Qatar Total Open next week in the first Premier 5 event on the 2020 calendar.The top seed is World No.1 Ashleigh Barty, who returns to the tour for the first time since a semifinal defeat to Sofia Kenin on home soil at the Australian Open.Having pulled out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis championships this week due to a foot injury, the Aussie gets a bye in the opening round and could face another player making a different sort of comeback in the second round. Barty with face either a qualifier or Yaroslava Shvedova, with the latter playing her first singles event in over two years. After giving birth to twins in 2018, Shvedova played her first WTA-level event last week in Dubai in doubles with Darija Jurak, losing to Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok in the first round, and was also named a playing captain for the Kazakh Fed Cup team earlier this month.Also in the top quarter is another Kazakh, the red-hot No.14 seed Elena Rybakina, who will face Sorana Cirstea in her opening match.Rybakina reached her fourth final in five tournaments played by a win over Petra Marticc on Friday in Dubai, and could get an Australian Open rematch against Barty in the round of 16.Each of the Top 8 seeds receive a first round bye, with Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Belinda Bencic, Elina Svitolina, Sofia Kenin, Kiki Bertens and Petra Kvitova rounding out the group.Pliskova, the No.3 seed, anchors a quarter of the draw that features three former champions at the event. Pliskova won the event in 2017, and will face either Caroline Garcia or a qualifier in her first match, while Kvitova, the No.8 seed and 2018 champion, could face either 2016 winner Carla Suárez Navarro or Zhang Shuai in her first match.2016 runner-up Jelena Ostapenko also features in this section, and will face a qualifier in her first match. A pair of opening round matches in Doha are rematches from this week in Dubai, as No.10 seed Petra Martic faces Barbora Strycova and No.16 seed and defending champion Elise Mertens faces Wang Qiang for the second week running.Mertens, who captured her biggest career singles title last year in Qatar, could be slated for a match against No.4 seed Bencic and others against either No.5 seed Svitolina or No.9 seed and doubles partner Aryna Sabalenka later in the draw should the seeds hold. Rounding out the bottom half of the draw is the quarter anchored by No.2 seed Halep, who was runner-up to Mertens last year.Into the final this week in Dubai against Rybakina, Halep will face either Anett Kontaveit or Anastasija Sevastova in her first match, while No.7 seed Bertens, returning after taking a week off following her win in at the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, will face either Karolina Muchova or recent Hua Hin champion Magda Linette up first.​