Olympic football team on rest period after impressive Asian campaign

DOHA, January 29, 2018 – The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has granted the Olympic team delegation a week- long rest period, following their impressive performance in the outgoing AFC Asian Men's U23 Championship 2018, where they claimed the third place over all.The rest period was given to the Olympic team members in order to avoid any injury or physical trouble, following their strong effort had being made during the AFC Asian Men's U-23 Championship in China.According to the QFA the Olympic team members will resume training sessions with their respective sport clubs on February 3, in preparation for the 16th round of QNB Stars League on February 8.

Wozniacki, Halep to headline Qatar Total Open 2018

DOHA, January 29, 2018- Newly crowned Australian Open champion and world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark will be headlining the array of top stars that will be in action at the Qatar Total Open 2018.The seven-day fiesta of tennis will be held from February 12 to 18 at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.The 27-year-old Dane will be hoping to record another first in Doha at this year's tournament by becoming third-time lucky in the quest for the golden falcon trophy. Wozniacki was the finalist at last year's edition where she lost to Czech's Karolína Plíšková. She was also denied the opportunity in 2011 by Russia's Vera Zvonareva who defeated her in straight sets 6-4,6-4 in an highly entertaining final.In line with the tournament's widely acknowledged reputation of hosting some of the best players annually, this year's event, , will also feature former world No.1 and 2018 Australian Open finalist Simona Halep of Romania, defending champion Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic, Garbine Muguruza of Spain and former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber of Germany among others.Former world number one Maria Sharapova of Russia, the 2005 and 2008 champion, as well as 2012 and 2013 champion Victoria Azarenka of Belaraus have also been granted a wildcard entry by WTA to contest in the main draw of the tournament.Other wildcard entrants for the main draw are Oman's Fatema Al Nabhani and Cagla Buyukakcay of Turkey.Vera Zvonareva, the former world no. 2 and the 2010 Wimbledon and US Open finalist, as well as will also have the opportunity of contesting for the golden falcon trophy as well as the $457,245 winner's prize money after been granted a wildcard to contest in the qualifying rounds.Other wildcard entrants for the qualifying rounds are Ukraine's Anastasiya Vasylyeva and Sabine Lisicki of Germany.A total of $2,666,000 cash prize are up for grabs at the 16th edition of the tournament which is WTA Premier 5 tournament on the 2018 WTA Tour.“It is always a pleasure hosting some of the best players in Doha annually. Qatar is a major hub for sport and tennis is one of the most loved sports in the country. The Qatar Total Open has grown to become one of the most sought-after event in Qatar's sporting calendar and this year will be no different as we've put everything in place to ensure a fun-filled week-long event. The fans are definitely in for a good time as they watch the stars doing what they know how to do best on the courts," said Tournament Director Saad Al Mohannadi.Sales of tickets for the prestigious WTA tournament has started online and in various shopping malls in Qatar.Tickets are now available in the malls at City Center, Landmark, Lagoona, Villaggio or online at www.qatartennis.org

Qatar win Asian Handball Championship

Suwon, South Korea, January 29, 2018-Qatar won their hat-trick title in the Asian Handball Championship after beating Bahrain in a thrilling final at Suwon Gymnasium in South Korea on Sunday.Frankis Marzo and Bertrand Roine top-scored with eight points each for Qatar, who trailed 16-17 at halftime.Valero Rivero's men had strolled through almost all of their matches en route to the final, but Bahrain, who had lost to Qatar in Manama in the last two finals, matched them point for point in the first half. However, the two-time champions found their rhythm in the second period to win by two points.Youssef Ali was the other main contributor for Qatar with five points, while Kamaladdin Mallash and Allaedine Berrached scored three each.Earlier, South Korea defeated Saudi Arabi 29-21 to finish third.Qatar, with three titles, have now become the third most successful country in the continent only behind South Korea, who have nine triumphs, and Kuwait with four.

Steady progress for Qatar Open Golf Championship

DOHA, January 27, 2018-Overnight leader Ayoub Id Omar led top 50 players into the final round of the Qatar Open Golf Championship after finishing the second round with a level score on Friday. The 21-year-old Moroccan, showing both promise and poise, had gained three more strokes to open a six-shot lead in his first nine holes after starting the day on the 10th. The 2017 Italian International Amateur Championship runner-up parred the next six holes to collect three under 141, gaining a two-shot lead over Pakistan's Ahmed Baig and England's Joshua White. "I'm happy to finish the day with level par round. At one stage I was three shots up. But suddenly I lost control over my play and threw away the advantage," said the Moroccan. "I'm still two strokes ahead entering the final day. I'll try to do my best and see what happens," said Omar, who was 15th in Doha last year. His display also helped local player Ali al Shahrani. After playing three over par yesterday, he had also saved a couple of shots to improve his position.However, with Omar experiencing a dip, he had fumbled but managed to place himself as the leading Qatari player with a second-round 72 for a three over 147 total. Still the tall Qatari player jumped nine places from a shared 19th on the first day to be among the top 10 with Dane Mikkel Mathiesen. Shahrani, who had skipped the event last year to focus on his graduation, said:"I was doing well on the first nine but could not sustain my game. Still, I'm happy to be back and leading the race for two spots in the Qatar Masters for Qatari players. Now that I've finished my studies, I will try to give my time to the game and improve myself," added Shahrani. Fresh from his Faldo Challenge win this month, Baig was the only player to card an under par score on Friday. Given the conditions and how the players fared on the day, his two under 70 is creditable. The Pakistani player shares the second spot with White, who went three over par to aggregate one under 143. White was delighted to be the new leader of the Pro category. "Today was definitely a lot tougher than yesterday. There was not only the cross-wind, but also the down-wind. So the start line of the ball was more difficult. Also the pins were a lot trickier. It was quite hard to get to the holes. I don't think there is going to be too many low scores today."I'm indeed in the mix of things. The final day will depend on how you go out and play. I will try to be in contention," said the English player, whose best was a tied third in the Sahara Kuwait championship last year on the Mena Tour and a share 10th spot in the Trophee Hassan II in 2016. Thomas Strandemo, who has been keeping his place among the top 10 finishers here regularly, followed up his first day's 70 with a two over par 74 to hold the fourth spot. The 2015 edition runner-up from America totalled 144 for the first two days and would be among the players capable of putting pressure on the leaders. Defending champion Pierre Verlaar Jr (the Netherlands) and 2015 winner Jakub Hrinda (Slovakia) both could not maintain their places and slipped to 14 and 12, respectively. While Verlaar shot a four over 76, Hrinda got three over 75.

Team Qatar win Inaugural Winter Camp Basketball Tournament with stunning performance at Sea Line Beach

DOHA, January 27, 2018-Sealine Beach, Qatar: The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Team Qatar Winter Camp has seen an action-packed afternoon as the finale of the first-ever 3x3 basketball tournament concluded with Team Qatar announced as the winners. The hugely successful tournament saw eight teams compete across three weeks in the huge beach-front sports zone on Sealine Beach. Qatar beat Lebanon in a close-fought final that finished 13-11 taking home 10 thousand Qatari Riyals. The camp welcomed the different participating expat communities where they showed great support to their teams. The president of Qatar's national basketball federation Mr. Ahmed Al Muftah was also present amongst the crowds to present the prizes to the winners. The tournament featured many of Doha's expat communities, including teams from Egypt, Jordan, Philippines (1) and Indonesia in Group A while Group B included teams from Qatar, Philippines (2), Lebanon and India.The President of the Qatar Basketball Federation, Ahmed Al Muftah, emphasised the importance of organising such tournaments at the Winter Camp saying: “Organising the 3x3 basketball tournament contributed greatly to the spreading of this game among the different communities in Qatar, and I would like to thank the President of the QOC H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and H.E. Jassim Al Buenain, Secretary General of the QOC, for their great contribution in the development of all sports, especially basketball, and for giving us the opportunity to participate in organising the various activities at our Winter Camp. Congratulations to the winners!".Sponsored by Seashore Group and Kahramaa, and in partnership with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, the Team Qatar Winter Camp has successfully completed two of its tournaments. For the very first time, the QOC in collaboration with its National Federations has organised competitive tournaments for the community to participate in at its Winter Camp to provide further opportunities for sports participation and encourage fun and competitive activities.Qatar's basketball star Yasseen Ismail, who was the Director of the 3x3 Winter Camp basketball tournament, said: “I've had an amazing three weeks passing on my knowledge and expertise to the participating teams. It makes me happy to see how much passion there is for basketball in Qatar and how sport is bringing so many different communities together. The atmosphere, excitement and passion on display shows that people are taking to sport and basketball in Qatar like never. It is now the job of the QOC and us all to continue providing the platforms to get involved. Bring on next year!"Mohammed Al Mesnad, Team Qatar Winter Camp manager and Sports Affairs representative at the QOC pleased for the great success that the activities of the Team Qatar Winter Camp witnessed, coinciding with the launch of the new brand of the QOC, saying: “On behalf of the Qatar Olympic Committee, I would like to thank the participating federations for their exceptional support in organising the Winter Camp tournaments. We are keen to introduce new events in line with the new brand of the QOC. These events include the 3x3 Basketball and the Rugby Tournaments, which were held at the camp for the very first time. The coming weeks will feature Volleyball Tournament in February and Football Tournament in March. I would like to thank everyone who cooperated with us including the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Kahramaa (Tarsheed), productive families, Seashore Group (Sponsor of the maintenance work at the camp), Al-Meera which is the Support Sponsor, and Hot Shot for Electronic Games. The coming weeks will also feature the participation of the Traffic Department, Community Police and the Impact Wing. I would also like to thank the Al Gharrafa Club who helped us decorate the camp's ground".The Touch Rugby tournament is another sporting competition that also kicked off three weeks ago with the participation of 14 female and male teams formed by the expat communities. The Touch Rugby tournament also concluded this Friday with Doha Rugby Club beating the Hurricanes from the men's team, taking home 7000 Qatari Riyals. Doha Rugby Club beat Sand Storm team from the women teams, taking home 3000 Qatari Riyals.The Winter Camp contains a multitude of activities including beach volleyball, football and basketball areas, a laser field, a kids' zone with inflatable slides, swings and games as well as pony rides. There is also an arcade dome with table tennis, billiards, video games and a food and beverage area for guests to re-energise and relax. The Winter Camp is open every Friday from 1pm-8pm and can be found by entering 'Qatar Olympic Committee Winter Camp' into Google Maps. It is free for everyone to enter and you can keep up to date with all information on the Team Qatar social media pages.

Qatar Open Amateur Golf Championship gets underway

DOHA, January 26, 2018-Moroccan youngster Ayoub Id-Omar edged a trio of players for a one-shot lead after the first round of the Qatar Open amateur Golf Championship at Doha Golf Club yesterday.The 21-year-old shot a three-under par 69 and was only one of five golfers to post sub-par scores in the prestigious regional event, the winner of which gets to play in the European Tour's Commercial Bank Qatar Masters next month.“I am happy with my level of play although with a bit of luck I could have posted an event better score," said Id-Omar.“I hope the conditions during the second round tomorrow are also good," he added.Twice winner on the European Tour, Simon Khan, of England, his compatriot Joshua white American Thomas Strandemo were a shot behind with 70 each, while Dutchman Mark Markovits was a further shot behind with 71.Four players shot 72s, trailing leader Id-Omar by three shots, while three Qataris – Sahel al-Kaabi and AIi al-Shahrani began with a 75.Defending champion Pierre Verlaar was two-over 74.