Sheikh Joaan crowns Bassem Hassan after his second speed class win

Doha, November 10, 2018 - HE President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani crowned Qatrai rider Bassem Hassan Mohammed after his second win of the weekend in this afternoon's Longines Global Champions Tour CSI5* speed class.AL SHAQAB's illustrious shopping village was bustling as spectators enjoyed the first day of their weekend at the LGCT Doha. Thirty one riders took to the area flexing brawn and brain to navigate Uliano Vezzani's 1.50m course within 78 seconds.One of the fastest riders on the circuit, Julien Epaillard on board Safari d Auge flawlessly set a leading time of 64.22 seconds. Equal first in yesterday's class with Julien, Bassem Mohammed and Argelith Squid consolidated on their performance, shaving 0.11 seconds off Julien's time by taking the inside line to fence 10.Brave Roger Yves Bost and Tesway de la Batia, like many others, cut a stride out between fence 4 and 5 and was on track to challenge Bassem's time. Unfortunately, the pair couldnt execute the plan and finished with 8 faults and 66.85 seconds.Turning up the speed today Nicola Philippaerts and J'Adore van het Schaeck thundered through the course to finish on 66.29 seconds, slotting into third place but no one else could unpick the top three with final placings being, first, Bassem Mohammed and Argelith Squid, second Julien Epaillard and (FRA) Safari d Auge and third Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) and J'Adore van het Schaeck.The big class of the evening kicks off at 18:30 local time, tune in via GC TV and on Facebook Live to watch the action unfold.Executive Director of Al Shaqab Khalifa Al Attiyah praised the success of the first day of the two-day tour in all the technical, organizational and public aspects. The competition was attended by a large number of spectators, which gave the competitions a special atmosphere, especially the events of the Doha tour, which attracted large numbers of attendees and have allocated special events for children.While praising the tour, Al Attiyah expected that Doha tour on its final day will see more public attendance and more achievement for the Qatari national team, especially by Bassem Hassan Mohammed and Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al-Thani.He confirmed that Doha will host the first tour of the tournament in March next year and then host the final tour in 2020 as some new tours were introduced in 2019.Mohammed Khalifa Al Baker won the title of a match in the Hathab championship which was held today in Al Shaqab within the events of the second day of the final tour of the LGCT Doha that ends on Saturday. Al Baker won the title of the 'Against the clock No Jump Off' round, with a time of 34.74 seconds. 36 riders participated in this round.Al Shaqab team was crowned with the team title after winning first place. The riders are Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi, Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi and Saeed Nasser Al Qadi. Exxon Mobil team Faleh Suwaid Al Ajmi, Mohammed Abdullah Gomaa and Khajim Faraj Al Marri finished in second place, while Al Salam team Mohammad Al Ghazali, Mubarak Al Rumaihi, Khalifa Abdullah Al Khalidi was in third place.41 riders participated in the 'Against the clock No Jump Off 1.00/1.15m' of Hathab round, which was held today. Rider Khalifa Abdullah Al Khalidi won the round after winning the first place with a time of 52.43 seconds.Khalid Mohamed Al Emadi finished in second place with a time of 56.06 seconds, followed by Mohamed Al Qadi with a time of 57.09 seconds.Ali Al Rumaihi, the tournament's director, said that the second day of the competitions was strong and exciting and saw the organization of the third round of the Hathab championship, pointing out that the championship was attended by a large crowd today, who enjoyed the events held by the Organizing Committee of Al Shaqab championship, recreational games, horse riding and Al Shaqab bazaar.

Qatar swimmers ready for FINA Swimming World Cup in Japan

TOKYO, Japan, November 9, 2018 – Qatar's swimmers Abdullah Mohammed Abo Ghazalah and Abdurrahman Hosham Mohammed are due to participate in the round six competitions of the prestigious FINA Swimming World Cup 2018 will take place from Friday to Sunday in Japan's capital of Tokyo.The Qatari duo aspire to show their top swimming skills amid participation of best world names in the championship and bringing glory to the country .On other hand, Qatar's Noah Abdulaziz Al Kholaifi and Yousef Abdulaziz Al Kholaifi will compete in round seven of the championship scheduled from 15-17 November in Singapore.

Bassem Hassan shines in Longines Global Champions Tour of Doha

DOHA, November 9, 2018-In a remarkable first class of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Doha, home hero Bassem Hassan Mohammed (QAT) and Julien Epaillard (FRA) matched the top time of the class finishing in 24.85 seconds.Bassem spoke after his joint win: “It's very nice to start the weekend with the win. I know Julien is fast and I saw him before I went in. I tried my best and ended up with the win."Set in the magnificent AL SHAQAB arena, the world's top riders were evenly placed throughout the draw in the first class of the weekend, and were holding no punches in the speed class. Whilst walking the course, Ben Maher observed the tight line from fence 10 to fence 11: “I definitely think everyone will try to come inside this jump (fence 5) to this one (fence 11)." This was certainly the case for 90 per cent of today's riders.First up, Gerco Schroder's (NED) performance on Glock's Cognac Champblanc demonstrated the technicality of the track produced by course designer Uilano Vezzani. “High, wide and handsome", praised commentator Steven Hadley after Gerco perfected a clear round.Marc Houtzager (NED) on board Sterrehof's Baccarat took an early lead with a handsome time of 30.33 seconds only to be beaten three riders later by Ben Maher (GBR) and Madame X whose time of 26.22 seconds was challenged by Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) and Jeunesse van T Paradijs. Unfortunately it wasn't Lorenzo's day because taking one stride out to the last fence cost him a rail despite a record time of 24.62 seconds.The second half brought most of the action as riders gleaned from their fellow rider's performances. There was drama at fence 11 for Great Britian's Emily Moffitt. Known for their class and speed, Don Vito decided yesterday wasn't the day leaving Emily to graciously exit the arena on two feet.Geir Gulliksen (NOR), the 40th rider to enter the ring, knocked Ben back to second place by setting a snappy time of 25.45 seconds on VDL Groep Quatro. Geir would soon be beaten by French speed demon Julien Epaillard and Safari d Auge who edged infront by successfully completing the last line in 8 strides passing the finish line at 24.85 seconds.Astonishingly, two riders later, Bassem Mohammed (QAT) and Argelith Squid levelled the field by equalling Julien's time, a rare occurance at this level of the sport. Second last to go was Bertram Allen and GK Casper, who perfected his second round of the day and slotted into third place with a time of 25.16 seconds.The final placings: Bassem Mohammed (QAT) and Argelith Squid equal first with Julien Epaillard (FRA) and Safari d Auge, third Bertram Allen (IRL) and GK Casper and forth Geir Gulliksen (NOR) on VDL Groep Quatro.The next class, the GCL Doha will kick off at 17:45 local time, with the high stakes battle for the Championship taking centre stage.

QOC organizes Entertainment Day for People with Special Needs

Doha, November 9, 2018 - The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) in collaboration with the Qatar Paralympics Committee organized the 12th Entertainment Day for people with special needs at the Qatar Sport Club on Thursday.The event was attended by a number of officials from the QOC and the Qatar Paralympics Committee. It included sports and several activities dedicated to people with mental, vision and motor disabilities, including barrier races, athletics and leisure events.Participants included a number of Paralympics centers, Qatar Society for Rehabilitation of Special Needs' female education and rehabilitation center, Noor Institute for the Blind, Doha International Center for Special Needs, and Al Tamakon School for Comprehensive Education.Entertainment Day aims to raise the level of awareness for people with disabilities by giving them an opportunity to express their skills and capacities by participating in several sporting events.Director of Sports Affairs Department of the QOC Khaleel Al Jabir highlighted the success of the event adding the event is held annually and is under the umbrella of the sports for all concept organized by the department.He added that the department seeks to gather all affiliates of the Qatar Paralympics Committee and special needs centers to enjoy a comprehensive entertainment day that includes various activities. He said the most important feature of this day is to see the smile and joy in people with special needs and hoped to organize more similar events and initiatives.

Qatar to host AFC U-23 Championship group A qualifiers

Kuala Lampur, November 08, 2018 - Qatar will host AFC U23 Championship Finals Group A Qualifiers on March 22-26, 2019.The Qualifiers divided the 44 participating teams into two zones of WEST (West + South + Central) with 24 teams, and EAST (East + ASEAN) with 20 teams. Qatar will face challengers Oman, Nepal and Afghanistan, according to the AFC.Host of Group B, Bahrain, will make their fourth attempt in qualifying to the Finals, as they go up against Palestine, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.Islamic Republic of Iran, the host nation for Group C, will prove their mettle against inaugural champions Iraq, Turkmenistan and Yemen.2013 runners-up Saudi Arabia will be aiming to better their previous best result after failing to progress past the group stage in January. They host United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Maldives in Group D.Kuwait were among the first teams to participate in the first-ever AFC U23 Championship in 2013, and will bid to reach the Finals again when they face opponents Jordan, Syria and Kyrgyz Republic in Group E.Reigning champions and host nation Uzbekistan will begin their title defence against Tajikistan, India and Pakistan in Group F. Mongolia will be counting on home support when they host Group G and go up against DPR Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore.Cambodia have yet to reach the Finals but they are determined to impress when they welcome Korea Republic, Australia and Chinese Taipei in Group H.After missing out on two editions, Group I host, Myanmar, will play against 2016 winners Japan, Timor-Leste and Macau.Group J host Malaysia, who reached the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in their history in January, are set to host China PR, Laos and Philippines.Vietnam, who finished runners-up in the 2018 edition returns to the Qualifiers as host of Group K, where they will meet Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam.The 11 group winners and four best second-placed teams among all groups will qualify for the Finals, with the host nation of the Finals receiving automatic qualification.In the event that the host of the Finals, Thailand, finishes among the qualified teams to the Finals (either top of the group or one of the four best second-placed teams), the next (fifth) second-placed team in the ranking among all groups will qualify to the Finals instead.

QOC to organize Entertainment Festival for people with special needs

DOHA, November 8, 2018 – The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) in collaboration with the Qatar Paralympics Committee will organize Entertainment Day for people with special needs at the Qatar Sport Club on Thursday.The event is expected to see the participation of 150 male and female students representing a number of Paralympics centres, viz: Qatar Society for Rehabilitation of Special Needs' female education and rehabilitation centre, Noor Institute for the Blind, Doha International Center for Special Needs, and Al Tamakon School for Comprehensive Education.Entertainment Day aims to raise the level of awareness for people with disabilities by giving them an opportunity to express their skills and capacities by participating in several sporting events.The focus is more on entertainment than serious competitions. The celebration helps in breaking the barrier between people with disabilities and their healthy counterparts.The festival will feature several activities dedicated to people with mental, vision and motor disabilities, including barrier races, athletics and leisure events.