Qatar Fencing Grand Prix 2019 begins

Doha, January 26, 2019 - The Fencing Grand Prix Qatar 2019 began on Friday at Aspire Academy, with 372 players from 55 countries taking part.The first day of the tournament saw men's first and group roles, followed by the 64th primer to qualify 48 players for the 64th knockout round on Sunday, which will see the participation of the top 16 seeders in the world. Some of them include world champion Yannick Borel of France. World No.2 Bogdan Nikishin and world no. 3 Sangyoung Park from Ukraine and South Korea respectively will also take part. In the women competitions, Tunisia's Sarra Besbes and Italy's Mara Navarria will participate.The first day of the tournament was set for the men's qualifiers, and the top 16 seeders were exempted from the competition on Sunday according to the rules of the tournament, which qualify the first-seeders to the 64th round without playing. Qatar's Mohammad Ali Mirzaei succeeded in reaching the finals, the remaining Qatari players lost to more experienced opponents. The Qatari team is primarily comprised of young players looking to gain experience from playing with the world's top 32 players.The tournament will be continued Sunday and will be dedicated to women's competitions and will involve 11 Qatari players and conclude the competitions with the round of the last 64.​

Qatar qualify to AFC Asian Cup Semifinals

Abu Dhabi, January 26, 2019- Qatar defeated South Korea 1-0 on Friday in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup at Zayed City Sports Stadium in Abu Dhabi to qualify for the first time ever to the semifinals.Abdulaziz Hatim scored the match only goal to seal the victory for the Qatari team.In the semifinals, Qatar will take on UAE .The Qatari team won all their three group stage matches before they defeated Iraq in the round of 16.Qatar kept clean sheet in all their five matches at the Asian Cup.​

Students sparkle in SOP Tennis Competitions

DOHA, January 25 , 2019 – The tennis competitions of the Schools Olympic Program 2019 got positive response from primary school students who made impressive performance on Thursday.​The duo Mohammed Akram Al Matawa from Tunisian school and Mohammed Salem from Lebanese school have confidently qualified to the final match in the Tennis event for under 10 year old.​In the girls competitions (U-10 year) , student Sheiwan from Birla public school will lock horns against Habeeba from Pak Shama school in the final match, following their deserving wins in the last four stage.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 Fencing Grand Prix 2019 to begin on Friday

DOHA, January 25, 2019 – The 16th edition of Qatar Fencing Grand Prix will begin at Aspire Academy on Friday. The tournament will bring together 272 fencers from 55 nations. The state of Qatar will be represented by 17 fencers including; Mohammad Ali Merzi, Mohammad Al Shammari, Mohamad Al Dosari, Abdullah Al Sayari, Adam Zaki, Abdullah Yousef, Zekrayat Al Abdullah, Wadha Al Abdullah, Aysha Al Baker, Nouf Al Mazrouei, Sarah Al Motawa, Ahlam bin Nujaima, Haya Zeyab, Sarah Zeyab, Yara Al Batadini, Fatima Dhahi and Maram Ebrahim. Qatar Fencing Grand Prix is one of the most significant tournaments hosted annually by the Qatar's Weightlifting and Fencing Federation (QWFF) since 2004.​

Qatar to take on South Korea in AFC Asian Cup quarterfinals

Abu Dhabi, January 25, 2019 - Unbeaten Qatar will be looking to post their second successive win over continental giants Korea on Friday when they two sides meet in the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup.On Tuesday, Qatar edged past 2007 champions Iraq with the game's only goal coming from Bassam Al Rawi in the 62nd minute. Al Rawi scored off a spectacular free-kick that dipped before the keeper before smashing into the net.When Qatar last played Korea, Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati guided Al Anabi to a fighting 3-2 in at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in June 2017. That encounter was a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.Overall, Korea have won more matches against Qatar - five against three losses in 10 encounters. Two matches have been draws.Speaking during a press conference before the match, coach Felix Sanchez said: "Up until this point the team has performed well and has achieved some very good results.""Of course, all of them are professional players and they are used to playing in competitions such as their domestic leagues and the AFC Champions League, so they are used to having this kind of pressure.""The pressure of being in a quarterfinal is more than welcome and I think they have to enjoy it, and work very hard to have the chance to have at least one more game."I want them to feel the pressure in the right way because it is a very important game, but they are absolutely used to these kinds of situations."​

Students display impressive performance in SOP Football Competitions

DOHA, January 24, 2019 – Students kept their impressive performance in the football competitions (first and second levels) of the Schools Olympic Program 2019 at the Aspire Academy outdoor playgrounds on Wednesday.In the first level competitions for government schools (group A), Kamal Nagi and Umm Slal schools qualified to the third round after secured first and second places in their respective group.In group (B), Al Manar and Khalifa model schools cruised their way to the third round , Al Manar defeated Umm El Amad 3-0 and Khalifa outclassed Ali bin Abdullah 3-0.In group (C) , Simaisma and Abi Hanifa schools progressed to the third round, following their victories over Othman bin Afan and Saud bin Abdurrahman.While group (D) has seen Al Shrouq and Al Qadisia schools booked their spots in the third round, following deserving wins against Saad bin Abi Waqas and Al Wikair.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.