Qatari Mutaz Essa Barshim Male Athlete of the Year

MONACO , November 25, 2017 - Qatari high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim and Belgium's heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam were named the IAAF's men's and women's athlete of the year on Friday.World champion Barshim succeeds retired Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt. He claimed the title from a shortlist comprising Britain's long distance star Mo Farah and South Africa's 400m champion Wayde Van Niekerk.Thiam, who won hepatathlon gold at the Olympics and worlds in London, beat off competition from Ethiopia's 10,000m Olympic champion Almaz Ayana and Greek polevault star Ekaterini Stefanidi.The men's and women's finalists were whittled down from an original list of 10 by a vote of IAAF council members, fans and fellow athletes.At the awards ceremony in Monaco Bolt was awarded the president's prize.Barshim recently crowned the 2017 Best Athlete of Asia Award, awarded by the National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in the Czech capital Prague on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the ANOC.The Qatari champions won the world title in the high jump competition in the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.Barshim captured Asia gold medal in 2011 and the Arab Games in the same year and then the world military championship in Rio.The Qatari champion won the gold medal in the Asian Futsal Championship and snatched the bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games.He also won the 2013 World Championship. Barshim won the 2014 Asian Games gold medal in and out of the halls, and the silver medal of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil before winning the for the 2017 World Cup gold.

Australian Edwina victorious in Al Rayyan Show Jumping Championship

DOHA, November 25, 2017 - Popular Australian rider Edwina Tops-Alexander completed a perfect double with two exceptional performances on Friday at the Qatar Equestrian Federation's (QEF's) Outdoor Arena.The experienced rider guided her eight-year-old mare Veronese Teamjoy to a flawless routine to secure top honours in the feature event of the second day of QNB Al Rayyan International Show Jumping Championship and made sure she double her joy by recording the third fastest time in the event with Inca Boy Van T Vianahof.In the 145cm class, Veronese Teamjoy completed an error-free routine in 72.51 seconds as the popular star grabbed a prize cheque worth €15,450 to book her place in the FEI World Cup competition number-9.Russia's Vladimir Tuganov, astride Suspens Floreval, enjoyed his second silver medal in the championship, following a routine which lasted 74.13 seconds and saw no errors. Tuganov got richer by €12,360.Astride Inca Boy Van T Vianahof, Tops-Alexander clocked 75.32 seconds to win the third position along with her second prize cheque of the day, worth €9,270.Earlier, in the 120cm class, Qatari teenager Obaid Ali Al Sanari guided his 15-year-old gelding Quentin to an errorless routine to bag the top prize of €1,500 after clocking a time of 31.62 seconds.Casanova S C H, with Uzbekistan's Saidamirkhon Turgunboev in the saddle, clocked the second fastest time of 33.59 seconds to win the second place with a prize cheque worth €1,200 while Latino 291, ridden by Qatar's Ahmed Mohammed Al Badi, was the third fastest in the event.Latino 291 completed the routine in 33.64 seconds to win €900 in prize money. Later, in the 135cm class, Qatari rider Rashid Towaim Al Marri completed another clean routine on Chupa Chups 12 to win the event.Chupa Chups 12 clocked a time of 35.96 seconds to finish the round as Al Marri walked away with a prize cheque worth €2,500. Loki Doki, with Ali Al Khorafi in the saddle, completed the task in 36.17 seconds. The Kuwaiti rider, who was riding under the FEI flag, won the second place along with €2,000 in prize money.Siec Cosmos Wijngaardhoeve Z, ridden by Qatar's Mubarak Yousuf Al Rumaihi was placed third. He spent 36.41 seconds to complete the routine and won €1,500 in prize money. The championship which is organised by the Qatar Equestrian Federation, concludes today.

Qatar Circuit Squash main draw starts on Friday

DOHA, November 24, 2017- The main draw of the Qatar Circuit II, a PSA M15 tournament, begins on Friday at the Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex and sees Egyptian World No 35 Omar Abdel Meguid lead a competitive field for what is the last PSA World Tour event of 2015.With nine PSA World Tour titles to his name, Meguid is one of the most successful players in the draw but, after failing to lift silverware so far in 2015, is running out of time to prevent this year from being a barren one.The 27-year-old has reached three finals in the past 12 months but has been unable to convert any of those appearances into PSA World Tour titles as yet. Meguid faced wildcard and local player Syed Azlan Amjad in the opening round as he bids to kickstart his tournament with a win.Qatar's top player Abdulla Mohd Al-Tamimi, seeded sixth, will take on a qualifier in his opening clash today. Malaysian Ivan Yuen is also looking to get in on the title winning-act. He has captured two PSA World Tour titles this year with his most recent coming at the Malaysian Tour Squash XI last month.Yuen lines up against compatriot Addeen Idrakie in the first round as the pair meet for the first time on the PSA World Tour.World No. 73 Danish Atlas Khan is also one of the forerunners for the crown. Khan won his sole PSA World Tour title of 2015 two months ago at the Life Time Fitness Chicago Open. The 21-year-old failed to make it past the quarter-final stage of the President Gold Cup International Squash Tournament on his last PSA World Tour appearance, however, and will be looking to bounce back in Qatar.Khan, who has eight career PSA World Tour titles, takes on Ammar Altamimi in round one as he aims to end the year on a high. New Zealand's Martin Knight is a dark horse for the event but the 31-year-old is one of the most experienced participants with 13 years behind him on the PSA World Tour.Like Meguid, Knight is yet to claim any silverware this year but did reach the final of the Wasatch Funds Salt Lake City Open in October. He is set to meet a qualifier for a place in the next round. The quarter-finals will be played tomorrow, with the semi-finals and final scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

QNB Al-Rayyan International Showjumping Championship kicks off

DOHA, November 24, 2017 - Rakan al Hasawi of Kuwait, riding under the FEI flag, made an impressive and winning start to his QNB Al Rayyan International Showjumping Championship campaign as the young rider topped a field of twelve to claim the top prize in the Table A, Special Two Phases 145cm event on the opening day of the three-day meet on Thursday.Hasawi and his trusted mount, nine-year-old bay gelding Dennis, made for a fine combine as they jumped past a tricky obstacle-led course at Qatar Equestrian Federation's outdoor arena for a flawless routine with a best time of 34.26secs. The show clinched them the first place and a prize of €6,150.Hasawi beat FEI compatriot Ali al Khorafi, on Cheril, who clocked 34.91secs.Pleased with his effort, Hasawi termed it a 'good win'."We've been having some unlucky rounds the last week, but this seems like a good beginning to the weekend here. I wish all the other riders the very best too and I hope to get some more favourable results," he added.Finishing third on Qualidam was the 56-year-old Russian Vladimir Tuganov, who had won the opening 145cm class last Thursday in the QNB Qatar International Showjumping Championship at the same venue.Both the championships are among the qualifying meets for the FEI World Cup to be held in Paris in 2018.Speaking of his strategy, the bald and always smiling Tuganov said he was more cautious as he was targeting the events to come."I rode quite cautiously today because I want to reserve my best for tomorrow and the final day for the Grand Prix event," he explained.On how he still gives youngsters a run for their money, the Russian added,"...But I gave the youngsters a chance to go ahead of me today."Hopefully I should go on to win the Grand Prix," he said.Earlier, Qatari riders continued to excel in the Table A, Against the Clock 130-135cm event. Salmeen Sultan al Suwaidi on Guilder's Empire of the Sun rode with aplomb to emerge winner in 59.86secs. He was awarded €2,000.Hamad Nasser al Qadi on S I E C Lonnie finished runner-up in 60.80secs, while Mubarak Yousuf al Rumaihi on SIEC Cosmos Wijngaardhoeve Z was third in 62.21secs.The day's opening class Table A, Two Phases 120cm -- was won by Uzbekistan's Azam Tolibbaev, who on his horse Wyarietus S needed only 29.32secs to emerge on top (€1,400. Tolibbaev pipped Qatar's Obaid Ali al Sanari (on Quentin), who clocked 30.83secs. Uzbekistan's Okil Sobirjonov riding Colijn was third with a time of 31.44secs.

Duhail reach Asian Club Handball Championship Semifinals

HYDERABAD, India, November 24, 2017 – Qatar's Duhail has successfully booked a spot at the last four stage of the prestigious AHF Asian Men's Club Handball Championship 2017 in Hyderabad, India on Thursday.Qatar's Duhali reached the semifinals stage, following their convincing 30-24 victory over Muscat of Oman on Thursday.Thursday's victory braced Duhail to increased its tally to 5 points and sitting on the top of group A and will compete in the semifinals stage on Tuesday.It is worth mentioning that the event is a qualifying tournament for the IHF Super Globe 2018. The championship is bringing together nine teams distributed into two groups.Group A includes, Duhail (Qatar), Al Sharjah (UAE), Oil club (Iran), Muscat (Oman), while group B includes Al Ahli (Qatar), Service (India), Racor ( Uzbekistan), Najma (Bahrain), Police (Iraq).It's the first time India hosting the Asian championship. The last edition was organized in the Jordanian capital Amman. Saudi Arabia's Al Noor posted a 25-23 win over Qatar's El Jaish in the final.Qatar's Al Sadd hold the record of winning the Asian title with five times in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 aand 2005.

Qatar to take Kazakhstan in FIBA World Cup qualifiers

DOHA, November 24, 2017 – Qatar's senior basketball team will lock horns against Kazakhstan on Friday in the Asian Zone qualification game for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2018 in China.Qatar team will also shake hands with Iran in the second match of the qualification stage scheduled in Tehran on November 27.Qatari team is pooled in group C with Kazakhstan, Iran and Iraq, where the top two in each group will book their spots in the second round.