Qualifying rounds of Qatar Squash Circuit begin

​DOHA, December 21, 2017-The qualifying rounds of the Qatar 5th Circuit Squash tournament began on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.To conclude on December 26, 2017, the event brings together a huge number of players from different countries.In the qualifying rounds Qatar challenge will be led by Yousef Al Kubaisi, Rashed Al Hareb, Ahmad Al Tamim and Mohammad Awda.The Tournament Director Saad Al Mohannadi said, “The tournament will help improve the level of the young Qatari players as it will provide them with the opportunity to compete with players from all over the world."“The Qatar Squash Federation spares no efforts to provide the Qatari players with all possible means of support and to promote squash inside and outside the state of Qatar." He added.

Qatar line up for Gulf Cup

DOHA, December 21, 2017-Defending champions Qatar will leave for Kuwait today to take part in the 23rd Gulf Cup football tournament beginning tomorrow.Qatar, who have won the event three times since it began in 1970, will open their campaign with a match against Yemen on Saturday before meeting Iraq on December 26.They play their last Group B match against Bahrain on December 29, hoping to qualify for the semi-finals where tough opposition awaits in the form of either hosts Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Oman.With most of the teams focusing on youth, Qatar have a really good chance of retaining the trophy with coach Felix Sanchez announcing a balanced side.Hassan al-Haidous, Abdelkarim Hassan, Karim Boudiaf and goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb are some of the experienced players in the team. They have played plenty of international matches over the past three years as part of Qatar's qualifying campaign for the Asian Cup and next year's World Cup in Russia.Although Qatar didn't make the cut for Russia, the experience of those matches will certainly help them tackle their Gulf rivals.Promising youngsters like Akram Afif, Ahmed Moein and Mohamed Muntari also form part of the squad, coached by Felix Sanchez.Sanchez has also added Al Shamal forward Ali Fereydoun, while Montari is making a comeback to the squad after almost a year out due to injury.Qatar squad:Saad al-Sheeb, Youssef Hassan, Mohamed al-Bakari, Pedro Miguel, Assim Madibo, Akram Afif, Hassan al-Haidous, Almoez Ali, Ahmed Yasser, Mohamed Muntari, Hamed al-Abidi, Ahmed Fathi, Abdelkarim Salem al-Ali, Mehdi Ali, Bassam Hisham, Abdullah al-Ahrak, Ahmed Moein, Othman al-Yahri, Karim Boudiaf, Ismael Mohamed, Musab Kadir, Abdelkarim Hassan, Ali Fereydoun.

Oryx wins Qatar hockey League title

DOHA, December 21, 2017 – Qatar's National Ice Hockey team (Oryx) recorded a convincing 6-1 victory over Oil Kings team to win the title of Qatar Ice Hockey League 2017 after a divisive match held at Villaggio Ice court on Tuesday.The prestigious league came on the frame of the national team preparation for the upcoming World Junior Ice Hockey Championship 2018. The national league brought together five teams.Qatar's national team captain, Mohammed Al Khalaf appreciated his teammates performance and said that the national team victory acts as best preparation for World Junior Ice Hockey Championship 2018.

PSG to arrive in Qatar today for winter camp

​DOHA, December 21, 2017-Paris Saint-Germain players and staff will arrive in Doha today for their annual mid-season Qatar Winter Tour training camp.All Paris Saint-Germain's players will be participating in the tour, which marks a fantastic beginning to the winter football season. The Qatar Winter Tour is a great opportunity for Qatari fans to meet and greet the Paris Saint-Germain's players and for Qatar to promote the country as a global tourism destination.As well as training at the world-class Aspire Zone facilities, several of French club's players will be able to try spearfishing which is a popular local sport, enjoy a tour of Msheireb Museums, as well as go on a desert safari to Qatar's magnificent Inland Sea; all organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).Nasser al-Khelaifi, Chairman and CEO of Paris Saint-Germain, said: “We are excited to return to Qatar for this new winter tour, and to benefit from training in the country's warm winter weather, and its remarkable facilities in Aspire Zone. Our team always enjoys visiting Qatar, experiencing first hand the culture, visiting various sites and witnessing the developments in its infrastructure and offerings since our last visit."Hassan al-Ibrahim, Acting Chairman at QTA added, “We are delighted to be hosting the Paris Saint-Germain squad in Qatar once again. We hope the players will enjoy exploring what our country has to offer, from state-of-the art sport facilities to authentic tourist experiences."Since 2012, QTA and Paris Saint-Germain have worked on a strategic partnership to promote Qatar's sport and leisure tourism offerings. QTA has hosted several tours for PSG teams, including the Qatar Handball Tour 2014 and 2015, the Qatar Ladies Tour 2015 and the Qatar Winter Tour in 2013 and 2015.A further aspect of this partnership affords QTA the continuous presence at Paris Saint-Germain's home stadium in Paris where thousands of football fans experience a flavour of Qatari culture and hospitality through interaction with Qatari cultural and heritage offerings.“Our partnership with Paris Saint-Germain has been invaluable to our promotion efforts, helping us spread understanding of Qatar and its offerings in France and even beyond our traditional markets," continued al-Ibrahim.Meanwhile, Ibrahim al-Hilal, Head of Federations and National Teams at AZF, said: “This is Paris Saint-Germain FC's fifth annual winter training at Aspire Zone Foundation, which is a testament to Aspire Zone's capabilities to attract and impress elite international teams year after year.“We provide world-class services and facilities that match, and sometimes even exceed, their expectations. Aspire Zone's state-of-the-art facilities give it its unique 'all-in-one-place' approach, with the training pitches, medical facilities, youth development and hospitality services being found under the umbrella of one organisation."

Saeed al-Qadi excels in Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour

DOHA, December 16, 2017-Qatari rider Saeed Nasser al-Qadi piloted Jessico 4 to victory on the opening day of the fourth leg of the Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour.At the Al Shaqab Indoor arena yesterday, al-Qadi and Jessico 4 combined in splendid fashion to win the Open Class - Table A, One round against the clock, 115/125cm, the feature event of the day.The 24-year-old al-Qadi, who is doing exceptionally well in local and international events, guided his gelding home in 60.89 seconds to secure QR3,750 in prize money.Diamond Delemma, with Mohamed Taleb al-Saaq in the saddle, took the runner-up spot. The pair finished in 66.74 seconds as al-Saaq pocketed QR3000.In third place was Ahmed Mohamed al-Badi with Latino 291, which gave the rider QR2,250 after clocking a time of 67.21 seconds. In total, 35 riders took the field in the event.Earlier, Jaber Rashid al-Amri picked up the top prize in the Small Tour - Art. 269.5, 100/115cm event.Al-Amri, astride his 11-year-old mare Belucci Van 'T Vleminkhof, topped the timesheets in 57.37 seconds.Mohamed Nasser al-Qadi came second with Al Bareq, while Jalieny Diamant Z, ridden by Abdulaziz Ghanim al-Nuaimi, was third.Today, the dressage competition will begin at 10am with Level 1 Test A (Prize-money QR10,000) and will be followed by Dressage, Level 2 (QR5,000) event.The Medium Tour and the Big Tour of showjumping will be held at 3pm and 5.30pm respectively.Hathab is a 12-leg series of national competition which will take into account the best seven results in deciding the overall champions.Hathab, meaning “Canter" in Arabic, is an initiative of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic Committee.

Qatar F5 Futures to conclude on Saturday

DOHA, December 16, 2017-The competitions of Qatar F5 Futures Tennis Tournament organized by the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF) in cooperation with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) will come to an end at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex on Saturday.Aslan Karatsev of Russia will take on Benjamin Hassan of Germany in the final match of singles event.Earlier on Friday, Tuna Altuna of Turkey and Markus Eriksson of Sweden claimed the title of doubles event after beating Aslan Karatsev and Zvonimir Zgombic of Croatia 6-1 6-2 in the final match.Mousa Shanan, Mubarak Shanan, Jabor Al Motawa and Rayyan Al Jefairi represented the state of Qatar in the tournament.