Qatar to take on Oman in 2019 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship

Tehran, September 17, 2019- Qatar will take on Oman in the 9th-16th places playoffs of the 2019 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship on Tuesday. Qatar finished third in Pool A as the last year's AVC Cup champions claimed 4 points from one win against two losses after powering past Sri Lanka in straight sets 25-21 25-14 25-15 in their last preliminary match on Sunday.The Tehran championship serves as the Tokyo 2020 Asian Olympic qualification tournament with the top-eight teams making it to the Olympic qualifiers.Qatar squad: Mubarak Dahi, Ahmed Jamal, Ibrahim Saeed, Bilal Abunbout, Othman Abdel Wahed, Nader Abu Bakr, Mahmoud Essam, Renan, Khaled Shamia, Mahdi Badreddine, Milos, Sultan Abdullah, Sami Mahmoud, Suleiman Saeed, Naji Mahmoud.

Qatar Beach Volleyball Team to participate in 2020 Tokyo Olympics Qualifiers

Doha, September 17, 2019- Qatar Beach Volleyball Team including Cherif Younousse and Ahmad Tijan will take part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games qualifiers, which will be held in Haiyang, China, from September 18 to 21.Sixteen teams will participate in the event including Norway, Russia, Poland, Qatar, Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, Latvia, America, Czech, Chile, Canada, Australia. These teams are ranked from first to 15th in the latest ranking issued by beach volleyball international federation, along with the hosts China.Recently, the Qatari duo of Cherif Younousse and Ahmad Tijan participated in FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Finals held in Rome, Italy where they were eliminated from the round of 16 after losing to Brazil.

Beach volleyball sets to attract capacity crowd at Qatar 2019

Doha, September 17, 2019-Beach volleyball has always been one of the biggest crowd-pullers at any beach sports events and the narrative will doubtlessly remain the same when the maiden edition of the ANOC World Beach Games Qatar 2019 kicks off in Doha on October 12.The sport, which gained an Olympic status at the 1996 Atlanta Games, has a massive global following and it has continued to draw capacity crowds wherever it is staged anywhere in the world. For example, the spectacular beach volleyball stadium for the 2012 London Games had a capacity of 15,000, the largest-ever Olympic beach volleyball venue, and a record 14,500 turned out to watch Russia defeat Brazil 3-2 to clinch the gold medal of the men's event at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London while the women's event witnessed a capacity-filled stadium. The beach volleyball games of the Rio Olympics also recorded an impressive turnouts and it was one of the most attended events of the competition. Played on a sand court measuring 8m by 8 m per side, beach volleyball is a team sport usually played by two teams of two players each but for Qatar 2019, the competition will feature the 4X4 format which consists of four players from each side. The 4x4 beach volleyball adapts the rules of the two-a-side beach volleyball discipline with changes in the scoring system, team composition, service order, and the addition of substitution and coaching as its general principles.As in indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent.Historically, there are reports of men playing volleyball on the beach in Hawaii as early as 1915 but the history of beach volleyball really began and gained momentum in Santa Monica, California in the 1920's. It was then and there that the first volleyball courts were put up on the beach and families came to play.The first two men Beach Volleyball tournament was held in Santa Monica, California in 1948 while the first international FIVB-sanctioned tournament was played on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro in 1987, with a prize purse of US$22,000. It was won by Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos.Beach volleyball, which was given a permanent Olympic status by the IOC in 2001, has continued to witness a surge in popularity globally, with many international competitions organized by the FIVB, the sport's global governing body, attracting fans in their thousands and record-breaking TV viewership. Brazil and the USA are the two dominant countries in the sport sharing 20 of the 30 Olympic medals awarded to date between them, and 16 of the 20 gold and silver medals. For Team Qatar, beach volleyball is one of the sports with its brightest prospect for medals at Qatar 2019, considering the team's achievement over the years and its reputation as one of the best globally. Qatar's beach volleyball team have recorded several successes over the years and they are one of the dominant forces on the continent.The team first caught the eyes of the world after its representatives, Tiago Santos and Jefferson Pereira, clinched the bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Beach Volleyball Championship in Jinjang, China.Team Qatar followed up the achievement by making their Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games. The dynamic duo of Ahmed Tijan and Sherif Younis, currently ranked 9th on the FIVB World Rankings, have been the most successful so far.The team was crowned Asian champions after defeating Iran's Bahman Salemi and Arash Vakili 2-0 at the 2018 tournament held in Satun, Thailand.They thereafter successfully defended their title at the 2019 Asian Beach Volleyball Championship in Maoming, China by beating home favourites Gao Peng and Li Yang 2-0 in the epic final. The team also captured the gold medal at last year's Asian Games in Indonesia. They also won bronze at the 2019 FIVB World Tour 4-star in Xiamen, China in April and finished fifth at the FIVB World Tour 4-star in Doha in March.En route their participation at the 2019 FIVB World Beach Volleyball Championships held in Hamburg, Germany, the team claimed the title of the Swiss national Championship after defeating home side Switzerland 2-0 in the final.ANOC World Beach Games Qatar 2019 presents another opportunity for Team Qatar to make its mark on the global stage and the team is expected to rise to the occasion as glory beckons on home soil.Beach volleyball 4X4 is one of the 14 sports featuring at the ANOC World Beach Games to be held from October 12 to 16 in Doha. All matches of the sport will be played at the Al Gharafa Stadium.

Qatar beat Sri Lanka in 2019 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship

Tehran, September 16, 2019- Qatar trounced Sri Lanka in straight sets (25-21, 25-14, 25-15) at the 2019 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship on Sunday, to post their first win in the tournament.With this result, Qatar took the third place in Group A after losing their first two matches to Australia and Iran.The Tehran championship will also serve as the Tokyo 2020 Asian Olympic qualification tournament with the top-eight teams making it to the Olympic qualifiers. Qatar squad: Mubarak Dahi, Ahmed Jamal, Ibrahim Saeed, Bilal Abunbout, Othman Abdel Wahed, Nader Abu Bakr, Mahmoud Essam, Renan, Khaled Shamia, Mahdi Badreddine, Milos, Sultan Abdullah, Sami Mahmoud, Suleiman Saeed, Naji Mahmoud.

ANOC World Beach Games Qatar 2019 unveil Dolphy the Mascot

DOHA, September 15, 2019-Dolphy, the fun-loving dolphin, was unveiled today by the ANOC World Beach Games Qatar 2019 Organising Committee as the mascot for the inaugural edition of the global multi-sport Games.Dolphy personifies the spirit of the ANOC World Beach Games with a playful disposition, a perpetual grin, and a dedication to keeping the ocean and the environment clean. A social animal by nature, Dolphy welcomes anybody and everybody looking for elite beach, water and action sports to the beautiful Qatari beaches and ocean. Dolphy will be found swimming between the 14 different sporting events during the ANOC World Beach Games in Doha, providing boundless energy and optimism for both fans and athletes.ANOC Technical Director Haider Farman said, “No animal better represents our emotional connection with the ocean than a dolphin, and Dolphy's bubbly and inclusive personality perfectly captures the essence of beach sports. The ANOC World Beach Games is a truly global celebration of sport and Dolphy will help to welcome nearly 100 countries to Qatar in October. The Games is all about people coming together to enjoy sport and have fun in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and I have no doubt Dolphy will make a huge contribution to that mood of joy and entertainment."If he is not flipping out over the elite competition, Dolphy is preaching the benefits of protecting the environment, not only for the dolphins, but also for all his other friends in the sea and people across the world.Director of Marketing and Ceremonies for Qatar 2019 Sheikha Asma Al Thani said, "We are happy to unveil Dolphy as the official mascot of the Games. Dolphy fully embodies the spirit of Qatar 2019, as the Games promises to be not just a competition, but an event designed to provide unparalleled entertainment and fun for the entire family. Dolphins exhibit temperaments that are associated with kindness and peace and they are driven to make those around them happy by creating an ambient tranquil atmosphere of peace and acceptance. These attributes resonate well with us in Qatar and we believe all participants will leave here with lasting memories of this historical event and our great hospitality as well."More than 1,200 athletes from 97 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are expected to compete at the ANOC World Beach Games, which will formally begin with an Opening Ceremony on 12 October 2019. A total of 14 disciplines across 13 sports will be competed in during the Games, which concludes on 16 October. The ANOC General Assembly and ANOC Awards 2019 will follow the next day on 17-18 October.

Dahlan Al Hamad Says Doha Ready to Host Memorable World Athletics Championships

DOHA , September 15 , 2019 (QNA) - Vice-President of the IAAF Head of the organizing Committee of 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha Dahlan Al Hamad said that the city is ready to host a memorable edition of the competition when it starts on September 27.Al Hamad, who is inaugurating the volunteers' tent at Khalifa International Stadium, said that the competition's volunteers reached 5000, adding that he was sure that their contribution will help make the major sporting event a success.It is worth noting that the Middle-East is hosting the World Athletics Championships for the first time ever. Al Hamad stressed that the experience of volunteering will provide valuable experience to the young volunteers, saying that it was a true reflection of the national cohesion among all members of society.He also said that the State of Qatar has always been lucky to be the home of such giving young people.The Vice-President of the IAAF Head of the organizing Committee of 2019 World Athletics Championships concluded his remarks by conveying the thanks of President of the Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani to the volunteers.He then invited fans in Qatar and all over the world to come and enjoy the different competitions throughout the event.