QOC announces 2019 Sport Events Calendar

DOHA, February 10, 2019 - The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) announced on Saturday the list of sporting events and competitions that State of Qatar will host in 2019. Qatar will host 58 sporting events this year including FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour -Qatar Open organized by the Qatar Volleyball Association at Katara and the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championship to be held in September. The state of Qatar will also organize 31 international championships including Qatar Fencing Grand Prix held in January at Aspire Academy, Qatar Total Open from 11-16 February at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Qatar Open Amateur Golf Championships from 14 -16 February at Doha Golf Club, FINA Marathon Swim World Series on 16 February at Doha Corniche, HH the Amir Show Jumping Cup at the QEF Arena from 21 - 23 February, Qatar Men's Squash Tournament at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 24-27 February, Qatar International Endurance Cup at Marathon Village from 28 February to 2 March, 1st Qatar men's ITF World Tennis Tour at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 4 - 9 March, Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club from 7 - 10 March and 2nd Qatar men's ITF World Tennis Tour at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 11 to 16 MarchThe list of events also includes 1st Qatar ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Open at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 18-23 March, FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup at Aspire Academy from 20-23 March, 2nd Qatar ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Open at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 25-30 March, Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open at Ali bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena from 26-31 March, FIBA 3×3 Basketball World Tour at Katara from 18-19 April, IAAF Diamond League on 3 May, 2nd Qatar Closed Satellite Squash Tournament at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 23-26 June, 3rd Qatar Closed Satellite Squash Tournament at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 22 to 25 September, 3rd Qatar men's ITF World Tennis Tour at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 21 to 26 October, 4th Qatar men's ITF World Tennis Tour at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex from 28 October to 2 November, World Squash Championships from 7 to 15 November, FINA Swimming World Cup Doha 2019 at Hamad Aquatics Center from 7 to 9 November, Al Rayyan International Show Jumping from 14 to 16 November, Qatar International Show Jumping Championships from 28 to 30 November, Qatar International Weightlifting Championship 5-10 December at Rotana hotel, fifth Qatar International Tennis Championship 9-14 December at Hamad International Complex , sixth Qatar International Tennis Championship 16-21 December at Khalifa International Complex, Qatar International Karate Championship (age groups) from 27-28 December and Davis Cup at Khalifa International Complex in AprilAt the Asian level, the calendar includes 13 Asian sport events , starting from Doha Junior Squash Open Championship from 16-18 March at Khalifa International Complex for Tennis and Squash, Qatar Junior Squash Open Championship 19-21 March,West Asia Rugby Championship (Men and Women) 2-5 April at Aspire Dome, Inaugural Qatar Asia Junior Tennis Championship 8-12 April at Khalifa International Complex and second Qatar Asia Junior Tennis Championship at Khalifa international Complex from 15-19 April.Asian Athletics Championship from 21-24 April at Khalifa stadium, 2020 Olympics handball qualifiers at Duhail sport arena 17-27 October, 14th Asian Shooting Championship at Lusail shooting complex from 3-11 November, Asian Indoor Tennis Championship ( Under 19) from 11-16 November at Khalifa International Complex, Asian Beach Volleyball Champiohship at 27 November – December 1 at Aspire playgrounds and Qatar Asian Tennis Championship (teams) from 23-28 December at Khalifa International Complex.Doha is scheduled to host three sport events at the GCC level, including the 10th GCC Junior Athletics Championship for boys and 7th for Girls from 20-22 February at Qatar SC, GCC U-16 and U-12 Tennis Championship from 22-26 at Khalifa international complex and the 24th Gulf Football Cup from December 2019 to January 2020 at Doha playgrounds.The most prominent sport events at the local level are Qatar National Sport Day will take place on February 12, Emir basketball Cup final on April 30 at Al Gharafa indoor, Emir handball Cup final on first of May at Duhail sport Arena, Emir Football Cup final on May 11 at Khalifa stadium, Emir Volleyball Cup final on May 17 at Federation indoor, Qatar Basketball Cup final on March 30 at Al-Garafa SC indoor, Qatar Volleyball Cup final on April 5 at federation indoor , Qatar Football Cup final on April 17 at Al Sadd SC and Qatar handball Cup final on April 22 at Duhail Arena.It is worth mentioning that , this year's calendar contains additional 18 sports than last year which had seen 40 sport events at local, GCC, Asian and world levels.

Top seeds get first round bye at Qatar Total Open 2019 draw

DOHA, February 10, 2019 - The top-four seeded players at the Qatar Total Open 2019 would not be in action on the courts of the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex until the second round as they all got byes at the end of the draw ceremony held at the Four-Seasons Hotel on Saturday.World No. 3 and 2014 champion Simona Halep is the number one seed while 2017 champion and world No. 5 Karolína Plíšková is seeded second with Angelique Kerber; a three-time Grand Slam champion and 2014 finalist completing the top three seeds. Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, currently ranked seventh, is fourth in the seeding for the tournament which will be held from February 11 to 16.The ceremony, conducted by Tournament Supervisor Tony Cho, was attended by Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF) Secretary General & General Co-ordinator of Qatar Total Open Tariq Darwish Zainal, Tournament Director Saad Saleh Al Mohannadi, QTSBF Board Member Mohammed Al Subaie and top officials from Total Qatar led by Laurent Wolffsheim, Managing Director of Total E&P Golfe and Group Representative.Players in attendance include Julia Görges of Germany, Barbora Strýcová of Czech Republic and Oman's Fatma Al Nabhani.Interestingly, Nabhani, a wildcard entrant, will be squaring up against Strýcová in the first round on Monday while Görges will have to overcome Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova, the seventh seed, for any hope of a second round appearance.Meanwhile, 2016 French Open semi-finalist Kiki Bertens of Netherland, the fifth-seed, was drawn against Italy's Camila Giorgi while Caroline Wozniacki, a two-time finalist (2011 & 2017) will equally have to wait until the second round before engaging an opponent as she also got a bye."The draw is quite interesting and I'm prepared to give it my best shot. Strýcová is a very good player and I'm sure the match won't be easy but I think anything can happen on the court. I've always loved to play in this tournament and I've enjoyed every of my participation here. I hope to go as far as possible in the tournament," Al Nabhani said.Tournament Director Saad Saleh Al Mohannadi said, "We are happy to host the top players once again in Doha. The field is quite strong and I believe the players are ready to give the fans something to remember for a long time. Qatar Total Open 2019 promises to be the best ever. We are ready to continue to organise the best tournament in this category and we plan to keep raising the bar each year."Held since 2001, the Qatar Total Open has grown to become one of the biggest WTA Tour events in the region and it has consistently featured the world's top ten players on a regular basis.The last edition was won by Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova who recorded her 13th consecutive victory by beating Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 in a highly entertaining encounter.

Qatar Total Open 2019 to begin on Monday

DOHA, February 11, 2019-The 2019 edition of Qatar Total Open will begin at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex on Monday.The $916,131 total prize money tournament will feature a host of the world's top players led by world No. 3 Simona Halep of Romania, 2017 champion and world No. 5 Karolina Pleskova, Angelique Kerber; a three-time Grand Slam champion and 2014 finalist as well as Netherland's Kiki Bertens among others.Other players to watch out for include 2016 champion Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain, World No. 13 Anastasija Sevastova, 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys as well as Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, the 2016 finalist.Held since 2001, the Qatar Total Open has grown to become one of the biggest WTA Tour events in the region and it has consistently featured the world's top ten players on a regular basis.The last edition was won by Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova who recorded her 13th consecutive victory by beating Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 in a highly entertaining encounter.

Qatar Fencing Team shine in Arab Championships

Kuwait, February 11, 2019-The Qatari national fencing team claimed 6 medals including one gold medal, two silver medals and three bronze medals at the 2019 Arab Junior Fencing Championships being held in Kuwait until February 13. The event brings together 9 nations including; Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria. In Foil event, the Qatari team including Khaled Aref, Hussain Al Mutawa, Abdullah Ismail Hussain and Faisal Al Suwadi, claimed the gold medal after beating Kuwait in 47-35 in the final match. Also, in Foil event, Abdullah Ismail grabbed the silver medal.Khaled Essa Al Hamadi, Secretary General of the Qatar Fencing and Bodybuilding Federation hailed the achievements made by the Qatari players at the Arab Championships

QOC to celebrate National Sport Day on Tuesday

DOHA, January 11, 2019 – The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education set to celebrate the 8the edition of National Sport Day (NSD) at the playground of Yarmouk preparatory school for boys on Tuesday.Tuesday's prestigious event will bring together sport federations, families and children to participate in multiple sport event, meanwhile thousands of citizens and residents from different age groups are due to mark NSD across the country. The State of Qatar is a pioneer nation in organizing a sport day at the regional and international levels.The QOC is marking this prestigious event based on its productive cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education,. This partnership between these two organizations covers several programs as they both extremely believe in the importance of school sport to unveil talents that through Schools Olympic Program and " Kun Riyadi" program.In a pre-event press release on Sunday, the QOC Secretary General, Jassim Al Buenain said " We very much proud that a national sport day was allocated upon supreme Decree issued by the HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani states that Tuesday in second week of February in every will be a National Sport Day in effort to strengthen importance of sport and its impacting role in the life of individuals and communities.The QOC Secretary General also confirmed that QOC through sport federations has arranged several sport events in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to set new standards of success for National Sport Day in 2019.He added that both organizations by this sport event are targeting school students. He also highly appreciated the productive effort of all organizations and sectors of the country for setting up different programs and activities to celebrate NSD and reach its goals.The QOC also lauded the event's annual success and its impact in increasing the base of community participation in sports and making sport integral part of their daily life.“This year's edition will be exceptional as it comes after the historic achievement of the Qatari national football team who recently claimed the title of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The State of Qatar will also host more than 50 sporting events this year including the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships to be staged in Middle East for the first time" He added.Al Buenain also invited all community members to participate in the QOC events to be held at so many venues around the state of Qatar.For her part, Fawzia Abdulaziz Al Khater, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education hailed the cooperation between the ministry and the QOC in celebrating the NSD at Al Yarmouk Primary School for boys and Mozah bint Mohammed for Girls with participation of different sport federations.Al Khater also underlined the other aspects of cooperation between the two parties including the Schools Olympic Program, Kun Riyadi and School Sport Activities in addition to providing equipment for physical education section.The Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education called on employees, students and their parents to participate in the NSD activities to be staged at Al Yarmouk Primary School for Boys and Mozah bint Mohammed for Girls.Al Khater applauded the NSD philosophy which basically aims at promoting the culture of sport as a lifestyle for citizens and residents in the State of Qatar and stressed that physical education and promoting the culture of sport at the Qatari schools is one of the main goals of the ministry.The Qatar Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Athletics, Fencing, and Cycling associations will participate in various sport events during this year's NSDThe employees of the QOC, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and their families will take part in sport events at Yarmouk Preparatory School.Katara will host a number of sports events, including a weightlifting show, and the public will be able to participate in these competitions for all age groups. The Katara boxing event will also be held at Katara in cooperation with the Qatar Boxing and Wrestling Federation.The Qatar Athletics Federation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, will organize competitions for children aged 8-12 years. The Qatar Women's Sports Committee will organize various activities including mini games for children aged 5 to 13 in cooperation with Kahramaa. They will also organize an event in cooperation with the Qatar Athletics Federation that will take place in Katara. The Qatar Taekwondo and Judo team will offer karate lessons at the Katara Beach throughout the morning. The Taekwondo lessons will take place from 12 noon to 3 pm, while Judo lessons will be from 3 to 5 pm.The Organizing Committee of the IAAF World Athletics Championships, in cooperation with the Qatar Athletics Federation, will present athletics events for children aged 5 to 7 years at Aspire Park.The Qatar Women's Sports Committee will hold fitness training sessions at the committee's stadium. It will also organize handball, football and basketball matches.The Qatar Winter Sport Committee, in cooperation with Occidental Qatar Petroleum, will host the Winter Sports Committee at the Civil Defense Building during the morning period, as well as an entertainment show for people under 50 year old at the Doha Sheraton Hotel in cooperation with Dolphin Energy.The Qatar School Sports Federation will also celebrate the sports day at Tariq Bin Ziyad Secondary School, while the Qatar Golf Association will organize the day-long golf championship. The Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation will organize cycling activities for all ages from 8 to 10 am on the Lusail Road and in Al Qutaifiya. The Qatar Volleyball Association will organize volleyball matches for all categories at Al Arabi SC. The Qatar Tennis Squash and Badminton Federation will also organize an open day for team players and parents at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.​

Qatar gets ready to host Doha Open Water Challenge

DOHA, February 11, 2019 Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) is preparing for another spectacular edition of Doha Open Water Challenge to be held on Doha's iconic Corniche, near the Oryx Statue on Saturday.The Doha Open Water Challenge, open to the public, will be organised on the sidelines of a high-profile FINA/HOSA Marathon Swim World Series Doha (QAT) 2019.Doha is the first of the eight stops in the prestigious series which will see top long-distance swimmers competing on February 16. In the Doha Open Water Challenge, all Qatar residents above 11 years old can participate. The competition is aimed at giving the public an opportunity to experience what it is like to be an elite athlete.The number of participants in this year's competition is expected to go higher due to an overwhelming response by the swimmers. Preparations are in full swing for the FINA/HOSA Marathon Swim World Series Doha (QAT) 2019 Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing for the FINA/HOSA Marathon Swim World Series Doha (QAT) 2019.There are over 200 swimmers and officials from 24 countries already confirming their participation for the spectacular event. A thrilling race is guaranteed as swimmers will look to give their best in the year's first race, eyeing an early lead in the FINA/HOSA Marathon Swim World Series 2019.Both the Doha Open Water Challenge and the FINA/HOSA Marathon Swim World Series Doha (QAT) 2019 will be free for the public to view from the Doha Corniche promenade.