Qatar to take on Bahrain in GCC U-17 Basketball Championship

Muscat, February 6, 2018 - Qatar Youth team will lock horns against Bahrain in the prestigious GCC U-17 Basketball Championship 2018 in Muscat, Oman on Wednesday.It is worth mentioning that the Qatari side have suffered opening day defeat 74-57 at the hands of United Arab Emirates on Monday and now looking ahead to restore balance and strength when they face Bahrain on Wednesday's match.The prestigious championship is bringing together five GCC teams including hosts, Oman, Qatar, KSA, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain who are competing in the event from 5-10 February, 2018.

QFA President honours Olympic team

Doha, February 6, 2018-The Qatar Football Association (QFA) President HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani honored Qatar's U-23 team who finished third in the AFC U-23 Championship.The ceremony was attended by Ivan Bravo, Director General of Aspire Academy, Saeed Al Misnad, Technical Advisor of the QFA National Teams Department, Talal Al Kaabi, Project Manager of the European Project for Players at Aspire Academy, the technical staff led by Spanish coach Felix Sanchez, QFA Head of Media Ali Al Salat.“We wanted to compete and win the title, but our Olympic team did their best to finish third. The bronze medal is the beginning of the road and not the end of it," said Sheikh Hamad, who welcomed all the players and technical and administrative staff."Qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Games is another significant milestone. I hope they will win the next championship and qualify for the Olympics. The achievement was the result of hard work," he added.

Stage set for 2018 Qatar Total Open

DOHA, February 6, 2018- The Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha has started to wear a new look in preparation for the 2018 Qatar Total Open.The prestigious tournament will be held from February 12 to 18, 2018.Ahead of the tournament, necessary branding materials are already being put in place and the courts are getting the required facelifts in readiness for the tournament.The Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF), under the dynamic leadership of His Excellency Nasser Al Khelaifi, is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring yet another very successful week-long feast of tennis.The sensational field will feature World No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who will come to Doha as the new WTA World No.1 after winning her first-ever Grand Slam in Australia defeating Simona Halep in an epic battle. Germany's Angelique Kerber and rising star Jelena Ostapenko among others will also participate in the Doha event.

Stage set for Qatar School Chess Tournament

DOHA, February 5, 2018- The Qatar Chess Association (QCA) and the Qatar School Sport Association (QSSA) will organize Qatar 2nd School Chess Tournament in April 2018. The tournament comes in light of the Schools Olympic Program in its 11th edition. The inaugural edition of the school chess tournament featured the participation of 332 students from 59 schools. The tournament will begin on April 23 with the technical meeting to be held on April 22 at Omer bin Al Khatab Model School. The QCA Secretary General Mohammad Al Modaihki extended his thanks to the Qatar School Sport Association for its support to the tournament in its second edition. Al Modaihki stressed that the tournament aims at promoting Chess in the state of Qatar.

Yousef al Khulaifi wins bronze, sets new 50m freestyle mark in Athens

Athens, February 5, 2018-Qatar's swimmer Yousef al Khulaifi on Sunday won a bronze medal in the 50m backstroke at the Greek International Swimming Championship clocking 33.31 seconds.The 12-year-old Khulaifi on Saturday had set a new record in the 50m freestyle with a time of 29.79 seconds in the same tournament.Yousef is one of three Khulaifi brothers who all are into competitive swimming. The eldest, 18-year-old, Noah al Khulaifi, competed in the men's 100m backstroke at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, becoming the youngest Qatari Olympian.While Noah has dominated GCC swimming competitions, setting 14 records in the process, some of his records have been broken by his younger brothers Yacoub and Yousef, 16.Recently, some of Jordan's top swimmers had a winter training camp in Qatar and they trained with local swimmers in the warm winter weather.Meanwhile, back home in Doha, the two-day Qatar Water Sports Championships will begin at the Hamad Aquatic Centre on Monday.The Qatar shield swimming championship, the first diving tournament for the 2017/2018 season, and the Qatar Diving Cup will be held in April.

Olympic Principles Training Course begins

DOHA, February 5, 2018- The Olympic Principles Training Course organized by the Qatar Olympic Academy (QOA) began on Sunday. The five-day training course is organized in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee. The QOA Executive Director Saif Al Naimi said that the Olympic Principles Training Course is one of most important training courses at the QOA calendar as it provides trainees with the knowledge they need to begin their careers at Olympic institutions.