Shooters display impressive performance in HH Amir Cup

DOHA, April 21, 2019 - Qatar's shooters displayed highly appreciated performance in the prestigious HH the Amir Shooting Cup Championship 2019 at Losail range on Saturday.In the second day's competitions, Rashid Hamad Al Ezbah confidently claimed the gold medal in Trap event, Nasser Al Homaidi grabbed the runner-up place, while the bronze medal went to Mohammed Dablan.In the Junior category, Hosain Al Banai clinched the gold medal, Ibrahim Al Tamimi seized the silver medal and Abdurrahman Al Noaimi grabbed the bronze medal. In the women's category, promising shooter Noora Al Mohannadi clinched the gold medal, Khloud Al Khalaf finished in the second place , while the bronze medal went to Nawal Al Khalaf.

Asian Athletics Championships to begin on Sunday

DOHA, April 21, 2019-The the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships will be held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha from 21 to 24 April, 2019.Nearly 700 elite Asian athletes from 44 nations will be competing for 186 medals in 21 men's events, 21 women's events, and a mixed relay event that makes its debut in the Asian athletics showpiece.Hosts Qatar will be aiming to finish as high as possible in the competition's medal table, and they have the personnel to back that bid up.Qatar's two-time Olympic medallist Mutaz Barshim will lead a line-up of 29 athletes representing the home nation in the Asian showpiece. The 27-year-old high jumper, who holds the Asian record and the third-best world record, is fit again after suffering an injury last year.Team Qatar for the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships will also include 400-metre sprinter Abdalelah Haroun, 400-metre hurdler Abderrahman Samba and hammer thrower Ashraf El Seify who all won gold medals at the Asian Games 2018 in their respective disciplines.The team also boast promising female sprinter Mariam Farid and hammer thrower Rania Al Naji who will attempt to make their mark on the continental stage.

Dahlan al-Hamad re-elected President of Asian Athletics Association

Doha, April 21, 2019- The Asian Athletics Association will continue to operate under the leadership of President Dahlan Jumaan al-Hamad, following the 23rd congress which took place ahead of the Asian Athletic Championships.Having been initially elected in 2013, al-Hamad has overseen significant growth in Asian Athletics, with more events and athletes competing in recent years with Championships being held in China and India, before the highly anticipated competition in Doha, Qatar, which gets underway this week.The 2019 congress saw 48 elections confirmed across the board including eight Council Members who will offer support to the president throughout 2019 until 2023.Speaking of his re-election as President, Dahlan Jumaan al-Hamad commented:“Continuing to have the honour of leading Asian Athletics is something that I am extremely grateful for. Naturally this position is a one that attracts high interest from strong candidates, so to have the support and backing of the delegates is truly humbling.“The hard work does not stop and with the rest of the Council and members, we will look at ways in which we can support athletes and federations to grow athletics and bring more impact and excitement to fans throughout the continent."Members and councils were present for the Congress ahead of the 23rd Asian Athletic Championships which run between April 21-24 in the impressive Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, with new committees formed from the meeting.The Asian Athletics Association President will be supported by his Senior Vice President and five Vice Presidents, along with three seats for Female Council Members, whilst committees are in place to ensure best practice for Technical, Women, Race Walking, Cross Country & Road Running, Coaching and Medical.

QOC Course on decisions making in competitive environment gets underway

DOHA, April 22, 2019 - The Human Resources and Administrative Affairs Department at Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) launched a productive course titled " Effective Decisions making in competitive environment under pressure" at the QOC's Losail hall on Sunday.The three day course aims to develop the administrative skills of QOC's distinctive employees (talents) who were selected according to the annual performance appraisal project launched by QOC last year.In the first stage, the Performance Appraisal Project is targeting 25 employees (male and female) representing different departments. They will be subject to a one year intensive development program under supervision of specialists.The key speaker in this course is Mohammed Al Jofairi, specialist in leadership at Creativity Makers Centre. Mr. Al Jofairi opened the course with a presentation on problems -solving, decision making and solutions.It is worth mentioning that talent management program comprises of number of training courses will continue from April to March next year.

Abdulrhamn Samba sparkles on Day 1 of Asian Athletics Championships

DOHA, April 22, 2019- Qatar's Abderrahman Samba qualified to the final of the 400M hurdles at the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Sunday.Samba, running in the second heat, never got into the top gear but still managed to top his heat in 49.57sec.Samba's compatriot Bassem Hemeida also qualified for the final, finishing third behind Chinese Taipei's Chieh Chen.Team Qatar's Samba said: “I'm feeling good. I pushed until the fifth hurdle and then relaxed tonight to finish the job. The final will be a different race. I cannot make predictions, but we will see."The Men's 800m also saw Team Qatar excite the home crowd, as a trio of athletes qualified for the final. Adubaker Haydar Abdalla, Jamal Hairane and Abdirahman Saeed Hassan all did what was needed to qualify for tomorrow's final at 19:06.Qualifying with the quickest time overall, Team Qatar's Abubaker Haydar Abdalla said: “It felt good. Hopefully I will be able to run a smooth race in the final as well and win it. The plan is to win gold and silver tomorrow along with Jamal."Whilst Qatari athletes enjoyed success, records were also broken in the Javelin with China's Lyu Huihui throwing an Asian Athletics best of 65.83 metres as she secured the first gold medal of the evening, commenting:The Asian Athletics Championships records continued to be broken with Philippines' Ernest John Obeina claiming gold, whilst Iran's Ehsan Hadadi set a new Asian Championships record in the Men's Discus.Bahrain's Women impressed with victories for Salwa Naser in the 400m and another gold for Mutile Yavi in the 5000m event, whilst fellow countryman John Kibet Koech also claimed first place in the 3000m steeplechase and Dawit Fikadu ending the evening with gold in the Men's 10000m.Following her victory, Salwa Naser already switched her focus to the World Championships, commenting: “My time is a season best, but it is still a long way to go until the IAAF World Athletics Championships. My goal there is to win the gold medal, after finishing second two years ago in London."

23rd Asian Athletics Championships gets underway

​Doha, April 22, 2019 – The 23rd Asian Athletics Championships began yesterday at the Khalifa International Stadium, seeing the first of Qatar's hopefuls state their claim on the 186 medals on offer.HE Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al Thani, First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) announced the championships open.The opening ceremony was attended by the QOC Second Vice President HE Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari and the QOC Secretary General HE Jassim Al-Buenain.From his opening speech, Dahlan Al Hamad, Dahlan Al Hamad, LOC chairman, newly-reelected President of the Asian Athletics Association and Vice President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said: “The championship takes place under ideal conditions thanks to the advanced and ground-breaking cooling technology that Khalifa International Stadium provides, which keeps temperature at an optimal 24 degrees all the time, helping athletes to perform at their best and focus on the sport.“Besides my continental and international duties, I'm a Qatari citizen first and foremost, which makes me extremely proud to witness such moments when Doha, as a capital for sport and a destination for athletes, brings the world together." He added.