SOP football competitions enter semifinals stage

DOHA, March 5 , 2019 – Football competitions for primary schools (second level) reached the last four stage in the prestigious Schools Olympic Program 2018-2019 at Aspire Academy Indoor playground on Monday.In the group A, Muaz bin Gabal school and Newton International Academy confidently booked places in the last four stage, while in group B, Al Noor Languages school and Al Zubair bin Awam school seized spots in the semifinals.The SOP is held annually as a collaborative effort of Qatar School Sports Federation (QSSF) and Ministry of Education and Higher Education, with hundreds of student athletes competing from all over Qatar.The SOP committee aims to spread a culture of sports throughout Qatar's schools and to engage the entire community in active and healthy lifestyles while retaining local values and traditions.

Qatar Masters gets underway at Doha Golf Club

Doha, March 05, 2019- Qatar Golf Association is set to host the 22nd edition of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which will be held at the Doha Golf Club.The tournament will start on Wednesday and will continue for four consecutive days with the participation of the best golfers in the world.The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters is an annual golf tournament that is part of the European Tour in the Middle East. In 2018, it attracted more than 20,000 people. The tournament has been broadcasted through international television networks to more than 400 million viewers worldwide. With the launch of the 22nd edition of the tournament, attentions will turn to Doha, where the most famous golfers will compete for the Pearl Trophy on one of the most challenging courses on The Tour.The organizing committee of the tournament will hold a press conference on Tuesday to reveal the details of the tournament and announce the number of participants. Qatar Golf Association's Board of Directors has identified the three best national team's golfers who will participate in the tournament, namely Saleh Al Kaabi, Ali Al Shahrani and Jaham Al Kuwari. Also taking part in this tournament Denmark's Mikkel Mathiesen, who claimed title of the 33rd edition of the Qatar Open Amateur Golf Championship 2019.The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which was first launched in 1998, has helped establish Qatar's position as a host country for world-class sporting events.Since its inception, the Doha Golf Club hosts Qatar Masters tournament which is sponsored annually by the Commercial Bank. The tournament is held every year as part of the European Tour.Designed by Peter Harradine and unveiled in 1997, the 7,374-yard Championship Course has proven to be one of the longest par 72 courses on the European Tour. It includes eight strategically positioned lakes, 65 giant cacti, numerous imposing limestone rock and numerous long green lanes.Qatar Golf Association's Secretary General and the tournament's General Coordinator Fahad bin Nasser Al Nuaimi said "Preparations for the tournament are underway, together with our partners who have played a vital role in enhancing the event experience for both players and spectators each year. We look forward to welcoming the players, golf fans and our valued sponsors to Doha Golf Club for another edition of world-class golf in March 2019."Al Nuaimi added that Qatar Golf Association will hold a press conference on Tuesday to explain all the details of the tournament, and all the information related to media coverage and the processing of all facilities related to the coverage of the tournament.In the run-up to the tournament, Commercial Bank has organised a range of activities to promote the tournament and encourage local participation in golf.The other mini-golf events took place at Villaggio Mall in Qatar, with members of the public being encouraged to put their golfing skills to the test. Volunteers were also present at the Commercial Bank's booth to provide key tips and information about the sport. In addition to the mini-golf event, the Commercial Bank has organised a series of educational tours across schools and universities in Qatar to help students learn more about golf.The highly-anticipated event is organised by the Qatar Golf Association, the Qatar Olympic Committee, Doha Golf Club (DGC) and long-term title sponsor, Commercial Bank.The tournament is considered Qatar's annual must-attend sporting and social event, and widely known for bringing together the world's best golf talent; the likes of Branden Grace, Sergio Garcia, Rory Mcllroy, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson have all competed in past years.Every year, the tournament hosts the world's top golfers. This year, England's Ryder Cup star David Howell, the current European Tour Tournament Committee Chairman, announced that he will take part in the tournament.In a statement before arriving in Doha, Howell said "Beware of the wind!", which is his sound advice on how to play the challenging Peter Harradine-designed Doha Golf Club when the 22nd staging of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters gets underway on March 7.Howell has come close to being an ever-present competitor in the prestigious Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.Since playing in the inaugural event in 1998, he has missed only the 2005 and 2007 editions.In that time, the likeable Englishman, who is also a regular television golf pundit and broadcaster, has had five top-10 finishes and came in fourth in 2003, just three shots off the winner, South Africa's Darren Fichardt."I'm a great fan of Doha Golf Club and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters," said Howell, who has played more than 600 tournaments in his illustrious European Tour career."Qatar Masters is the oldest and most well-established tournament in the Middle East and it's a course the players love to play," he added.Howell said "you have to make sure you respect the wind because it's always there. It's a really tough test, although there are birdie and eagle chances to be had. The 639-yard par-5 ninth is the longest on the course, yet the par-4 16th is an eagle opportunity and if you can produce a big hit on the 589-yard par-5, 18th it can provide the perfect place for a spectacular finish."

Students shine in SOP Basketball events

DOHA, March 4 , 2019 – The Basketball competitions for primary and preparatory schools continued successfully at the prestigious Schools Olympic Program 2018-2019 on Sunday.In Sunday's competitions, Abobaker Al Sideeq school, Abdurrahman bin Jassim, school, Ali bin Abi Taleb school and Hamaza bin Abdulmotaleb booked their spots in the last eight stage.Meanwhile, in the primary schools competitions, Al Shahania school and Indian modern school cruised their way to the final match.The SOP is held annually as a collaborative effort of Qatar School Sports Federation (QSSF) and Ministry of Education and Higher Education, with hundreds of student athletes competing from all over Qatar.The SOP committee aims to spread a culture of sports throughout Qatar's schools and to engage the entire community in active and healthy lifestyles while retaining local values and traditions.​

Stage Set for CHI AL SHAQAB 2019

DOHA, March 4, 2019-Excitement is mounting in Qatar with only three days to go until the start of CHI AL SHAQAB 2019, the signature event of Al Shaqab, member of Qatar Foundation.The three-day equestrian event, which Al Shaqab is organising, kicks off on Thursday, with the appetites of Qatar's horse enthusiasts having been whetted by the Longines Global Championship Tour (LGCT) 2019 first leg that ended on Saturday. It's the first time that these two world-class equestrian events are being held back-to-back in Qatar, with this being the sixth edition of CHI Al SHAQAB, which is sponsored by ExxonMobil. Several world-renowned athletes and horses will be participating in this year's event. They include Britain's Scott Brash, 2012 Olympic gold medallist and winner of CHI AL SHAQAB 2017 CSI 5* Grand Prix (2017), Ben Maher, also from Britain and the runner-up in the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix that took place at Al Shaqab on Sunday, and Edwina Tops, Australia's Olympic-level rider with several records to her name. Leading Qatari athletes who have been making their mark in the world of international equestrian sport have also registered to take part in CHI AL SHAQAB 2019. Proudly representing Qatar will be Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid al-Thani, who placed sixth in the 2016 Summer Olympics, Bassem Mohammed, winner of the LGCT 2017 Grand Prix of Doha, Faleh Suwead al-Ajami, Khalid al-Emadi, and Salmen Sultan A M al-Suwaidi. To ensure an ongoing festival atmosphere of fun and entertainment, Al Shaqab will continue to keep the doors to its multipurpose venue open to the public during the days leading up to the start of CHI AL SHAQAB 2019. An exciting indoor and outdoor Entertainment Zone offers an array of fun activities for children to enjoy, including pony rides, magic and circus shows, gaming areas, interactive video and virtual reality games, and F1 and horse simulators. There will also be a food court and coffee corners, while a latte art competition started yesterday (Sunday March 3), with the winner to be crowned on Wednesday (March 6). Several leading baristas from Qatar will show their coffee creations, and the competition will also include a latte art demonstration by Jibbi Little, real name Rawirat Techasitthanet, a latte art champion from Australia.​

Thani Al Kuwari elected OCA Vice President for West Asia

Bangkok, March 4, 2019- HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) chaired the Qatari delegation participating in the 38th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) held in Bangkok Yesterday. The meeting was also attended by the QOC Second Vice President HE Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari and the QOC Secretary General HE Mr. Jassim Al Buenain. During the meeting, the QOC Second Vice President HE Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari was elected as the OCA new Vice President for west Asia while HE Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah was re-elected President of the OCA. The meeting also discussed a number of issues related to development of Asian Olympic movement.​

Rashid Saleh wins skeet gold in Qatar Open Shotgun Championship

Doha, March 3, 2019- Qatar's Rashid Saleh won yesterday the gold medal of Men's Skeet Event at the conclusion of the Qatar Open Shotgun Championship. More than 280 competitors from 38 countries took part in this year's edition.Jakub Tomecek, of Czech Republic finished second while Luigi Agostino of Italy secured the third place.Some of the countries that featured yesterday were Qatar, Australia, Croatia, China, Finland, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Kuwait, Morroco, Oman, Jordan, Iran, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, USA, Ukraine, Malaysia, Poland, Peru, Pakistan, Lithuania, India, Georgia, Denmark, and the UK.Director of the competition Abdullah Ali Al Muttawa al Hamadi expressed his delight after Saleh won gold. He then thanked everyone who worked on ensuring the success of Qatar Open Shotgun Championship, adding that the level of organization came just as good as they expected. On refereeing, he said there weren't any objections to the decisions taken this year, highlighting that the referees taking part officiate international competitions.He praised the strong performances shown by Qatari shooters, including the winner Saleh. He highlighted also Fatma Al Muraikhi's win of third place in the youth category.For his part, Saleh expressed his delight with the win, saying that the win was even more special due to the participation of some of the world's best players. He said that he will enjoy his win for two days before beginning preparation for the world championships in Mexico, which also act as qualifiers to the Tokyo Olympics 2020.