Al Duhail to take on Al Najma of Bahrain in Asian Championship final

Hyderabad, November 30, 2017-Qatar's Al Duhail SC will take on Al Najma of Bahrain in the final match of the Asian Club Handball Championship on Thursday. Al Duhail SC qualified for the final of the championship after beating another Qatari side Al Ahli 31-26 in the semifinals on Tuesday. Bahrain's Al Najma Club edged past Al Sharjah Club of the United Arab Emirates 29-27 in the other semifinals match.On the other hand, Al Ahli will clash against Al Sharjah in the third place match. The event is held in Hyderabad city, India until November 30 and serves as a qualification tournament for the 2018 Super Globe.

Teenage prodigy Fares Ibrahim raising the bar for Qatar

DOHA, November 30, 2017-Young weightlifter will be competing against the world's best weightlifters on Sunday at 2017 World ChampionshipsFares Ibrahim is one of Qatar's brightest young sporting stars. Still only 19, the teenage weightlifter earlier this year won the World Junior Championships, adding to his 2016 Asian Championship title and seventh placing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.Fares will be competing against the world's best senior stars on Sunday when he looks to stamp his mark in Qatari history books once again at the 2017 World Championships in Anaheim, USA.For Fares, weightlifting has always been a family affair. His father and brothers were all weightlifters and he tagged along to their training sessions. However, he didn't take it seriously until he won gold in the first competition he ever competed in.“It felt amazing and I was so excited to continue and work harder to achieve even more," he said. Fares' pathway to success has been carefully carved in close partnership with his father, who is also his coach and his inspiration.“My father always pushes me and gives me confidence. He often says, 'Fares, you can achieve whatever you want as long as you believe in yourself'. He understands everything about me – I don't have to explain to him when I'm tired, he just knows what I need and we understand each other."The father/coach relationship works because, “he can play different characters with me. He is my coach at the gym, my father at home and my friend outside the house". Fares' first major achievement came in 2014 when, at just 16, he won the Qatar Cup and broke the world youth record in the process, which gave him an early taste of international success and motivated him “to break new records and to work hard to win a medal in the Olympics".Having tasted victory before, he was disappointed to win a bronze at the 2016 World Junior Championships. “I wasn't that happy. Afterwards, I started to put more effort into my training and I didn't take any vacations until the 2017 World Junior Championships."Fares changed many things in his programme including how he focused in training, his sleep, and his diet.The changes and hard work paid off and Fares won an incredible two gold and one silver medal at the same event one year later, which “felt amazing because I could see the results of my hard work".Also in 2016, Fares, then only 18, was the youngest athlete to participate in the Rio 2016 Olympic weightlifting finals, finishing an impressive seventh.“It was a good chance for me to see how the big athletes train, how they focus and how they avoid stress. It was a great experience and I was so happy that I was representing Qatar at the Olympics," he said.Rio experience is sure to prove invaluable as Fares takes to the stage in America next week for his first senior World Championships.As many as 600 male and female competitors from 100 countries will compete across 15 weight categories, with Fares moving up to the 94kg category for the first time in his career.Once again, he will be the youngest athlete in the competition and, whilst he is aware that he will be up against very strong competitors, he is confident with his preparations and his sights are set high.“We have been working very hard and I have had a strong, focussed training programme which has developed my performance greatly. My ambitions are very high and I am aiming to win a medal. If I succeed when I am still only 19, it will be amazing."He knows that winning a medal will require him to break his personal bests and his goals are to lift 170kg in the snatch and 220kg in the clean and jerk. However, if achieving these goals doesn't win him a medal, he will be content with his achievements and “will still be proud that I have lifted these weights at my age".It is not just immense physical strength that creates a world-class weightlifter but huge inner mental strength is of equal, if not greater importance.“Sometimes an athlete might be physically ready to raise the bar but mentally he cannot. The athlete needs support from the coach and the psychologist to help him mentally prepare and get rid of his fears. It contributes 50 percent to the whole preparation," Fares said.However, when it comes to the actual moment of lifting in a competition, Fares completely empties his mind. “All I think of on the stage is to raise the bar no matter how heavy it is. I concentrate on maintaining my self-confidence and convince myself that I will succeed."Like most professional sports, a weightlifter needs to completely dedicate their lives to their sport.“To reach a high level in weightlifting requires sacrificing many things. I spend most of my time in training and everything I do at home is for the sake of training," he said.“Food and weight play a huge role in weightlifting, especially in championships because if you compete in the 94kg and your weight is 94.1kg, you won't be able to compete."The intensity of his training, however, also means he needs to eat a lot. “I might consume a whole lamb in just 10 days! I burn a lot of calories in my training sessions so I need to make them up through a certain diet that includes vegetables, protein, carbohydrates, bread, meat, chicken and milk, as well as the necessary vitamins and minerals."But probe him further, and it all seems worth it. “It feels amazing when I win first place, wear the medal and make my country proud."The focus will shift to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after the World Championships. Between now and then, his goal is simple: “to win the gold medal in every competition that I compete in".

Khalifa International Stadium achieves 4-star GSAS sustainability certification

DOHA, November 30, 2017-Khalifa International Stadium the first completed 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament venue has received a major sustainability certification.The 40,000 capacity venue has become the first in the world to be awarded a four-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), which is administered by Qatar-based Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD).Qatar's national stadium officially reopened in May this year after undergoing an extensive redevelopment, which was overseen by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), Qatar's 2022 FIFA World Cup organising body, and Aspire Zone Foundation. The official four-star certification follows a provisional award announced in June 2016.Khalifa, which has been fitted with innovative and energy-efficient cooling technology, officially received the rating during the second annual Sustainability Summit in Doha, which was organised by GORD and sponsored by the SC.Bodour al Meer, the SC's Sustainability & Environmental Manager, described the award as a"major achievement"."We are very proud to receive the four-star certification this is a major achievement for Qatar, the SC and Aspire Zone Foundation as we strive to meet our ambitious sustainability targets in the lead-up to 2022 and beyond," said Al Meer.Meanwhile, Engineer Mansoor Saleh B. al Muhannadi, Project Manager, Aspire Zone Foundation, is proud of Khalifa's ongoing journey as Qatar's national stadium."Khalifa International Stadium will continue to be a major sporting landmark in Qatar and the region. The inauguration in May will live long in the memory and we look forward to more exciting events being held here, not least the 2019 World Athletics Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup."FIFA's Federico Addiechi praised Qatar's commitment to sustainability and said world football's governing body would continue to work closely with the SC and GORD."It's great to see that Qatar's first stadium has successfully received certification so far in advance of the tournament," said Addiechi, FIFA's Head of Sustainability & Diversity."Also, the fact that such a sophisticated certification system exists and is being widely used in Qatar is very promising."Stadiums are at the heart of a FIFA World Cup, making them the focus for the sustainable management of the event."Addiechi went on to praise the blossoming relationship between FIFA, the SC and GORD."We're extremely happy with the cooperation between FIFA, the SC and GORD. The collaboration will not stop with the certification process there is so much in the pipeline, which will all be covered in the joint 2022 FIFA World Cup Sustainability Strategy, to be launched in 2018."GORD Founding Chairman Dr Yousef Alhorr described Khalifa earning the four-star certification as a"proud story"."GORD is proud to be the pioneer for the GSAS scheme, which was launched in 2014," said Alhorr. "It is immensely satisfying to see that sustainability is at the heart of Qatar's stadiums. The tournament venues being developed are among the most sustainable in the world."My heartfelt thanks go to FIFA, for endorsing GSAS, and the SC for accepting and enforcing GSAS so rigorously. This is a proud story which will be told to future generations."In order to obtain GSAS certification, developers must employ leading sustainability practices in the design, construction and operation to minimise the building's ecological footprint. The GSAS standard includes eight assessment categories: energy, water, indoor environment, cultural and economics, site, urban connectivity, materials, and management and operations.Khalifa's cooling technology uses an energy recovery system in order to reduce energy consumption. In addition, the venue features energy-efficient lighting systems and plumbing fixtures.Regarding urban connectivity, Khalifa is located close to public transport and other popular facilities, such as Aspire Zone and Villagio Mall. Recycled materials account for 25percent of the redevelopment, while others were sourced regionally where possible. Khalifa also has strong legacy credentials as well as hosting the 2019 World Athletics Championships and 2022 FIFA World Cup, it will be the home of Qatar's national team after 2022.

International Rifle and Pistol Referees Course concludes

DOHA, November 30, 2017 - The international Rifle and Pistol Referees (Class B) organized by Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA) was successfully concluded at Losail Ranges on Wednesday.The international Olympic Referee, Abdullah Ali Al Mutawa Al Hammadi delivered vital lessons on refereeing sciences during the six-day training course attended by 25 shooters and referees.On the course's closing day, the QSAA President, Ali Mohammed Al-Kuwari addressed the trainees, praised their effort and delivered them appreciation certificates in recognition of their successful performance in the course.The six-day course came on the frame of the QSAA's vision to provide local referees with the experience and confidences to enabling them managing the games in high standards.

Kazakhstan defeat Qatar in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

DOHA, November 25, 2017 - Qatar's bid to qualify for the FIBA World Cup in 2019 got off to a disappointing start when they fell to an upset 82-70 loss to Kazakhstan in their opening Group D qualifier in Doha on Friday. Kazakhstan were the least favoured team in the group, which also includes Iran and Iraq, but they surprised the hosts with a scintillating third quarter performance for a vital win that would stand them in good stead in the long road to China 2019. Anton Ponomarev was the star for Kazakhstan with 23 points, while Abdulrahman Saad excelled for Qatar with 20. The teams were evenly poised after the first quarter with 20 points each although Qatar were marginally better in the second period, which they edged 26-23. But the match turned on its head in the third quarter when the Kazakhs racked up 19 points while limiting the Qataris to just seven. That gave the Kazakhs a crucial 62-53 lead with the final 10 minutes remaining during which the visitors further consolidated to clinch a famous win. In another match in Group D, Iraq upset favourites Iran 74-66. Iran were the runners-up at the Asian Cup in Beirut in August. Meanwhile, Jayson Castro hit some big shots in the endgame as the Philippines thwarted Japan, 77-71, in Group B.Castro scored 5 points in quick succession in the latter stages of the fourth quarter as Gilas Pilipinas dowsed water on Japan's last ditch rally. The man called “The Blur" back in Manila finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists for the Philippines. Andray Blatche did his part, finishing with 13 points, 12 boards and 3 blocks. Japan stayed within striking distance for the entire game, even leading at one point in the third period, but the Filipinos played well enough to stave off the home team's challenge. Makoto Hiejima shone for Japan with 20 points and 5 assists. Philippines return home to host Chinese Taipei on 27 November at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, while Japan fly out to Adelaide to face Australia at the Titanium Arena.

Qatar’s Bashar into IBSF World Snooker Championship last 32

DOHA, November 25, 2017 - Qatar's Bashar Abdulmajeed is the lone player from the host nation left in the men's draw of the IBSF World Snooker Championship at Al Arabi Sports Club Indoor Hall on Friday.The 35-year-old beat Poland's Grzegorz Biernadski 4-2 in their last 64 match, even as compatriots Ahmed Saif and Ali al-Obaidli crashed out. Bashar started well, securing first two frames with a 51-point break in first frame. Though he lost the next two frames, he stood strong in next two frames to beat the Polish challenge 4-2.Al-Obaidli lost to Ross Bulman of Ireland 1-4, while Saif stretched Kevin Hanssens of Belgium till the deciding frame before bowing down 3-4. Bashar will now take on Myanmar's Ko Htet in the Last-32 stage tomorrow, with a rest day today.In a big blow to Pakistan's campaign, as the 2012 world champion Mohamed Asif and 2017 world U18 champion Mohamed Naseem Akhtar suffered defeats on Friday.Asif, a strong title contender, lost to Malaysia's Moh Keen Hoo 1-4, while 16-year-old Akhtar was blanked by Hong Kong's Lee Chun Wai. The Malaysian gave Asif no chance whatsoever early on to go into a 3-0 lead, before Asif pulled one back in the fourth. In the fifth frame, Moh dominated again, and armed with a 40-point break, wrapped up the match.Lee too was in commanding form since the start, starting with a 61-point break to secure the first frame. Further ahead, he comfortably won second frame also and then sent two contributions of 54 and 53 breaks in next two frames to outclass Akhtar.Pakistan, however, still has Mubashir Raza and Asjad Iqbal in the field. Another high profile casualty of the day was Brazil's Igor Figueiredo, who fell to Austria's Andreas Ploner 3-4 in a scrappy affair.Ploner started very well with two clinical breaks of 55 and 77, taking a 2-0 lead. However, Igor fought back in third frame but fell short by 4 points and the deficit rose to 3.The Brazilian 40-year-old then made a brilliant comeback to level the game 3-3, but Ploner beat him by 29 points in the final frame to secure his berth in Last-32. Two-time champion Pankaj Advani of India had little trouble brushing aside the challenge of Yemen's Ahmed Saloomi 4-0.Also remaining in the field are Iran's Amir Sarkhosh and last year's runner-up Andrew Pagett.