Defending champions Qatar to face Bahrain in Gulf Cup on Friday

KUWAIT, December 28, 2017 - After a great start to their 23rd Gulf Cup 2017 challenge where they thrashed Yemen 4-0, defending champions Qatar were edged by Iraq, who rallied from being a goal down to win 2-1, and now face a tough ask in their last and final match of the group stage against Bahrain on Friday. Qatar are currently placed third with three points from two matches in Group B; Iraq and Bahrain with four points each are one and two respectively, while Yemen have failed to open their account as yet. Given the scenario, Qatar need nothing short of a win against Bahrain and the team's coach Felix Sanchez says that his side will be treating it as a title clash. A win on Friday against Bahrain at the Kuwait Sports Club Stadium will secure Qatar a semi-final berth at the Gulf Cup. “We have a game in hand. It's like a final for us," said Sanchez after the match against Iraq on Tuesday. “It depends on us, if we want to reach the semi-finals. Of course, we will try to play a better game. We need a good result to qualify. We will try harder," the Spaniard assured. “There are many things to be decided. It will be like a final for sure," stressed Sanchez. The Qatar coach said his players won't take the pressure of a crunch game since such a scenario is often talked about or discussed in team meetings. “We knew we could be in such a situation before the start of the tournament. The players know it. They are professionals and they are ready for such battles. They will give their best," said Sanchez. He said disappointing results – like the one on Tuesday night – could happen when a number of key matches are scheduled in a short time. “This is a short tournament. Every team plays a few games in a very short period of time." Sanchez said he opted for changes in team tactics against Iraq since key Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was ruled out with a back injury. “We needed to do some changes because Assim was not available. That was a tactical change. This way we gave a chance to a fresh player," Sanchez explained. “We planned the game with three changes. We will not start our planning for the next game. We have 23 good players in the team and we have many options," he said. The Qatar coach praised Iraq for their resolute tactics that allowed the three-time champions to script a fighting win. “We tried to push and get that second goal. They used two strikers and it was very difficult for us to stop them. Those strikers were physically very strong. In the second half we tried many things to win. My players did their best and pressed hard," said Sanchez. Looking ahead, he said, “We need a positive result. Our players have to recover physically and then we will plan for the game." Meanwhile, Iraq coach Bassim Qassim was a relieved man and happy with his team's good show. “It was an important match and I am happy with the way we played," he said. “It was a difficult match but we fought well. We played a steady game. We were clearly a better side than our first game against Bahrain. The players were able to read the situations well," Bassem explained.

Qatar defeat Kuwait in Asian Junior Cup

DOHA, December 28, 2017-Qatar's (B) team defeated their Kuwaiti counterparts 2-1 on Wednesday in the 2017 Asian Junior Tennis Cup, organized by the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation in cooperation with the Asian Tennis Federation. Qatar's Rashed Nawaf defeated Kuwait's Mohammad Yaqoub in straight sets then Nawaf teamed up with Nasser al-Yafaie to beat Kuwait's Talal Anter and Hussain Al Shati 6-1 6-1. Also on Wednesday, Sri Lanka defeated Nepal 3-0 while Qatar (A) team suffered a 0-3 setback against India. The event features the participation of Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Turkmenistan, Kuwait and hosts Qatar.

QOC’s winter camp begins

DOHA, December 28, 2017-The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) officially opened its Team Qatar Winter Camp, in partnership with Seashore Group and Kahramaa, at Sealine beach in the south of Qatar. The huge beach-front sports zone featuring competitive, fun and entertaining activities will be open every Friday until March 30, 2018. Commenting on the opening of the Team Qatar Winter Camp, QOC Secretary-General Jassim al Buenain, said: “We are so excited to open our Team Qatar Winter Camp for another season for all the public to enjoy. Located at the heart of Sealine beach, it provides the perfect setting for families and friends to experience a huge range of sporting activities and entertainment. The Qatar Olympic Committee aims to inspire our nation to participate in sport at any level, whether that be playing a beach volleyball game on a Friday with your family, or becoming the next Mutaz Barshim. The first step towards this is simply having fun and enjoying sport and this is exactly the environment that we hope our Winter Camp provides." Sponsored by Seashore Group and Kahramaa, and in partnership with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, 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, pony rides, and an arcade dome with table tennis, billiards, video games and more. Seashore's CEO Salem Saeed Almuhannadi said on the partnership with the QOC and Winter Camp: “Seashore's mission is to consistently offer the very best to our customers, but equally it is our ambition to enrich the lives of each and every person living in this country. Sponsoring the Winter Camp is therefore a natural fit for us. It is an activity centre rooted in the community and fosters sport, health and togetherness." Alongside the various sporting activity options the Winter Camp also plays host to an entertainment area and theatre with plays, musical performances, shows and exciting give-aways, much of which will this year be provided by Kahramaa. In addition to the sporting activities and entertainment, the Winter Camp includes a food and beverage area to re-energise, relax and unwind after a busy day or whilst the more energetic family members participate in the activities. There will be a variety of further events and activities taking place throughout the season, including the annual beach volleyball and basketball tournaments, which will begin in early 2018. The Winter Camp will be open every Friday from 1pm-8pm and can be found by entering 'Qatar Olympic Committee Winter Camp' in the Google map. It is free for everyone to enter and you can keep up to date with all information on the Team Qatar social media pages.

QGF holds General Assembly Meeting

DOHA, December 28, 2017 – The Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) held its annual General Assembly meeting at the QGF Headquarters in Doha city on Wednesday.The QGF General Assembly meeting was chaired by Mr. Ali Al Hitmi, the QGF President beside Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Jaber, the QGF Secretary General, Abeer Al Boenein , the QGF Assistant Secretary General and Ishaq Murtada Al Hashimi from Qatar Olympic Committee. Attendees at the meeting approved the QGF financial report for the year 2017 and exhaustively discussed the budget terms of the year 2018.The meeting also highlighted the national team's participations and achievements during the year 2018.

Spain’s Pajares beats Qatar’s al-Tamimi for title

DOHA, December 27, 2017-Qatar's Abdulla al-Tamimi's bid to win a second home title in a row just fell short as he was beaten by Spanish second seed Iker Pajares in the final of the Qatar Circuit (#5) squash tournament yesterday.In a gruelling match that lasted 72 minutes, Pajares edged the Qatari number one 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 14-2 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.Al-Tamimi had beaten India's Mahesh Mangaonkar in five games in the semi-finals on Monday, coming from two games down and saving two match balls in the process.Yesterday also, al-Tamimi saved three match balls, at 10-9, 11-10 and 12-11, but couldn't repeat the feat a fourth time, allowing the Spaniard to claim the trophy.“It was a very tough match and I had to play at my very best," said the 21-year-old Pajares, who joined the PSA World Tour in 2013.“Abdulla is a very tough competitor and you have to be extremely careful while playing him because he has all the shots," he added.Like al-Tamimi, Pajares too had a tough semi-final, needing over 100 minutes to get past former junior world champion Karim El Hammamy.Al-Tamimi said he was disappointed to lose the final but gave full credit to Pajares.“Obviously it's disappointing to lose a final in front of your home supporters but you have to deal with it," said the Qatari.“Iker is a young talented player and today was his day," added al-Tamimi, who had won the Qatar Circuit (#4) tournament beating El Hammamy in the final last month.

Qatar go down fighting to Iraq in Gulf Cup

Kuwait, December 27, 2017- Qatar played some fluent attacking football, especially in the first half, and scored a stunning goal, but that proved not enough as they lost to Iraq 1-2 in a Group B match at the Arabian Gulf Cup in Kuwait City on Tuesday.Iraq, who had drawn 1-1 with Bahrain in their first match, lead the group with four points. Though Bahrain, who beat Yemen earlier in the day, also have four points, they have scored a goal less.Qatar are third on three points.Qatar enjoyed a bright start to the game and deservedly took the lead, with a stunning goal from Almoez Ali in the 17th minute.Pedro Miguel won the ball deep in his own half and did well to evade a couple of challenges before Karim Boudiaf took over and hit a first-time pass to Hassan Al Haidous, who in turn found Almoez on the inside left channel. Almoez still had plenty to do, but his first-time left-footed shot packed too much power and precision for Iraqi goalkeeper Jalal Hassan Hachim whose dive was always going to be in vain.Qatar took control of the game for a while as Akram Afif and Abdulkarim Hassan both breached the left side of Iraqi defence, but they failed to find their team-mates on both occasions.Iraq came close to equalising in the 45th minute when Aymen Hussein met Hussein Ali's cross from the right with a thumping header, but Al Sheeb came up with a stunning point-blank save.However, he was helpless as moments later when Ali Fayez Atiyah launched a dipping freekick into the top right corner of his goal.The goal gave Iraq the momentum and they came out of the breather all guns blazing as Qatar heaved a sigh of relief when Aymen's header bounce off the crossbar in the 48th minute.Qatar were living dangerously and it did not take Iraq long to score again.Humam Tariq caught the whole Qatari defence flat-footed with a delightful cross from the right in the 65th minute and with Saad Al Sheeb also rooted to his line, it just needed a touch, which Ali Husni, making his run from the deep, happily obliged.Stung by the reversal, Qatar tried to get back into the game and substitute Mohammed Muntari had a chance in the 72nd minute after Iraqi defence failed to clear their lines, but he blasted his shot high into the stands.