Schools Olympic Program gets underway

DOHA, October 17, 2018-The 12th edition of the Schools Olympic Program (SOP) began at Tariq bin Zeyyad Independent Secondary School on Tuesday.The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Secretary General Jassim Rashid al-Buenain attended the opening ceremony along with Rabia Mohamed al-Kaabi, President of the Qatar School Sport Association (QSSA) and Dr. Ibrahim Al Naimi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Also, in attendance were the QOC Sport Affairs Director Khaleel al-Jabir, the Qatar Gymnastics Federation President Ali al-Hitmi and a number of guests and participating schools.The new edition of SOP will feature 12 sports including; Football, Handball, Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis, Table Tennis, Shooting, Gymnastics, Chess, Swimming and Taekwondo in addition to the sports competitions of students with special needs to be staged at Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium. The opening day of the program saw the beginning of the Basketball, Volleyball and Table Tennis competitions.Rabia Mohamed al-Kaabi said “The increasing numbers of schools participating in the new edition of the schools Olympic program reflects the importance of the sport in our community"Al Kaabi also stressed that the new edition will feature new football festivals for primary schools. For his part, Khaleel Al Jabir said, “The SOP is a national initiative which aims at providing the national sport federations and clubs with the opportunity to attract new talents" Ali al-Hitmi said, “The program provides the students with the space to practice sport and promotes the values of sport as an important factor in building a civilized Qatari society"

QOC Secretary-General: School Olympic Program enjoys support of wise leadership

Doha, October 17, 2018 - HE Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Jassim Rashid Al Buenain underlined that the School Olympic Program enjoys the support and attention of the wise leadership for its positive impact in the dissemination of sport among school students in the State.In remarks while attending the launch of the Program's competitions at Tariq Bin Ziyad Secondary School, the QOC Secretary-General said that the School Olympic Program, which is constantly followed up by HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani and which was launched yesterday in its 12th edition, affirms Qatar's excellence in its pioneering programs in the sports fields, which serve the goals of the community development.He noted that the success achieved by the Program every year is the outcome of a strong partnership between the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, adding that the School Olympic Program has achieved remarkable results since its launch in 2007.He added that the Program also contributed significantly to the discovery of a number of talents among students in various sports, noting that a number of talented students have joined sports clubs, which worked on refining their skills in order to join national teams and represent the State of Qatar in sports forums.HE Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee Jassim Rashid Al Buenain extended thanks to the Qatar School Sport Association, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and partners of the 12th edition of the School Olympic Program, urging everyone to continue to achieve success, discover talents and make sports a way of life.

Mohamed, Owaab win gold medals in Youth Olympic Games

Buenos Aires, October 17, 2018-Qatar's promising athletes Abdelaziz Mohamed and Owaab Barrow won their nation the first medals, and two golds at that, excelling at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, late on Tuesday.While Mohamed stood tall on the athletic field in Buenos Aires as he came up with another blazing run to claim gold in the men's 200m final late on Tuesday, Barrow won the men's 110m hurdles (91.4cm) event in style.Mohamed, who had finished on top in the Stage 1 race on Sunday, continued through the heats before lining up for the Stage 2 race where he clocked 20.68secs.Mohamed's golden effort saw Jamaica's Antonio Watson (21.08secs) and Brazilian Lucas Vilar (20.99secs) before forced to settle for the silver and bronze medals.Mohamed had clocked 21.10 in the Stage 1 race and the cumulative total of 41.78secs saw him pip Watson (42.41secs) and Vilar (42.67secs).In the hurdles, Barrow, who had won the Stage 1 race in 13.33secs on Sunday, came back strong again in Stage 2 as he broke past the competition to top the race and claim the gold winning in 13.17secs.France's Kenny Fletcher claimed the silver with a time of 13.25secs, while Hong Kong's Wong Lok Hei Addis settled for bronze clocking 13.39secs.

Qatar gymnasts will benefit by Worlds, says QGF President

DOHA, October 16, 2018-The Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) President Ali al-Hitmi is optimistic that Qatar gymnasts will immensely benefit from participating in this month's World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha.Three gymnasts – Ahmed Nabil, Ahmed al-Dayani and Jana al-Kiki – will represent Qatar at the October 25-November 3 event, which will be held at Aspire Dome.While Qatar gymnasts have shown improvements over the years, they still lag behind the best in the business. And they will have no better opportunity to learn from the Olympic and world champions, who have started descending in Doha for the marquee event.Al-Hitmi felt the high level of competition will make it difficult for inexperienced Qatar gymnasts to step on the podium. The QGF President said he was not putting pressure of expectations on them.“It is a very tough competition as only eight gymnasts will qualify for the final from a lengthy and star-studded line-up in every event," the al-Hitmi said on the sidelines of a sponsorship signing ceremony yesterday.“We will only expect from our gymnasts to give their best and avoid mistakes. These three gymnasts will have to show the world where the level of Qatar gymnastics has reached. We cannot put pressure on our (budding) gymnasts because it's a very tough challenge," he added.Al-Hitmi, who is also the Executive Director of the World Championships, believes the Doha Worlds will leave a positive impact to Qatar gymnastics scene and inspire kids to take up the sport. “Yes, it can be a breakthrough for our gymnasts. This event will benefit them, and it will also help Qatar gymnastics in many ways. It will motivate our gymnasts when they will compete alongside the likes of Simona Biles and Kohei Uchimura. Competing at this level will definitely improve their game and boost their confidence. The event will also attract young kids to this sport which will be a huge boost for Qatar gymnastics. We are optimistic that we will reach these goals," al-Hitmi said.He stressed that the young Qatari gymnasts have the qualities to shine in major events in the coming years. “With more support and experience, Qatari gymnasts have the potential to become medal winners in major championships just like out track and field stars," he noted.Last month, Qatar coach Razvan Selariu had exuded confidence of his gymnast's performance. “We've been training hard and everything has been going in the right direction. The gymnasts are in top shape and everybody is ready to give their best," Razvan said.The Romanian, who guided the Qatar team at the recently-held Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, added that his team's target will be to reach the final of at least one apparatus. “The championships will be tough considering the presence of top gymnasts, but we believe we can at least reach the pommel horse final going by the current form of al-Dayani. And anything can happen from there," said the 34-year-old.Al-Hitmi said his team is ready to host the event, having had experience over the years of hosting the annual World Cup Challenge in Doha. “It is a new challenge for us. We are working as a team since a long time to make this happen. We are looking to make it as the best World Championships ever and want to show the world how successful we can be in hosting big events," he said.Qatar will become the first Arab and third Asian nation to host the Worlds after Japan (1995 & 2011) and China (1999 & 2014). A total of 78 countries with over 600 gymnasts have confirmed their participation. Competitions will be in 14 disciplines (eight for men and six for women) which will be held at the Aspire Dome. The tournament will be significant for the participating countries as medals won from the Team finals will earn them an entry to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. China, Chinese Taipei, Brazil and Japan teams have already arrived in Doha and have started their training sessions at the Aspire Dome.Meanwhile, the Organising Committee yesterday signed agreements with a host of local sponsors. “We're happy to partner with our local sponsors to deliver what is expected to be the best in the championships history. The support has been very tremendous. We look forward to a successful event," said al-Hitmi said.The 10-day event is sponsored by Aspire Zone, Aspetar, Qatar Airways, Ooredoo, Alkass TV, Qatar Tourism Authority, Woqod, The Look Company, Taishan and Teyseer Group. “With less than ten days to go for the region's first-ever gymnastics worlds, we're excited to be a part of history. We are working round the clock to ensure that all arrangements are perfected before the Opening Ceremony," he added.

Qatar athletes look for glory in Youth Olympic Games

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, October 16 , 2018 – Qatar's pair Abdul-Aziz Mohammed and Awaab Baro kept their impressive performance in athletics at the prestigious Youth Olympic Games in Argentina's city capital, Buenos Aires on Monday.Qatar's Abdul-Aziz Mohammed confidently led the first stage of the Men's 200 race , clocking 21.20 second on Monday.On the same track of victory his teammate, Awaab Baro claimed the first place in the Men's 110 hurdles (first stage) , setting new personal record 13.33 seconds to lead the event general standings.Both athletes are preparing for the second stage in their respective events. It is worth mentioning that the first stage results shall be counted in the final result to decide the first three winners.

Qatar gymnastics team ready for World Championships

DOHA, October 14, 2018-The players of Qatar gymnastics team stepped up their preparations for the 2018 World Championships to held in Doha from October 25 to November 03 at Aspire Dome. The state of Qatar will be represented by three players including Ahmad Al Dayani, Ahmad Nabil and Jana Al Kiki. On the other hand, seventy-eight countries with over 600 gymnasts have confirmed participation for the World Championships Doha 2018.The Organising Committee said this is the largest participation in terms of countries and athletes for a world championship. It said that few nations had to withdraw their teams as they faced some difficulties.The Doha Worlds will also see six Arab nations including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Jordan besides hosts Qatar – taking part.The world's top stars who will be seen in action in Doha include American star Simon Biles, three-time world all-round champion and the 2016 Olympic individual all-around, vault and floor gold medalist, and balance-beam bronze medallist; and Japan's Takuma Nishimura, who has won six consecutive world championships.The Organising Committee is making all efforts to make the Doha event of World Gymnastics an extraordinary one.