Category: Sports

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted the French Alps as the hosting location of the XXVI Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030. It also elected Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 as Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games host. France, host of the 2024 Summer Olympics, to kick start on Friday, had organized previous Winter Olympics editions: Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968, and Albertville in 1992. Source: Qatar News Agency

The Qatari youth team lost to the Chinese Taipei team (0 - 3) in their match, of the second group stage of the 22nd edition of the Asian U-20 Volleyball Championship, which kicked off Tuesday in Indonesia and conclude on July 30. The result of the match's rounds were (25-16, 25-13, and 25-20) in favor of the Chinese Taipei team. The rest of the matches that took place Tuesday witnessed Japan's victory over Kuwait (3-0), and with the same result, Saudi Arabia defeated Australia, while India defeated Bangladesh (3-2). On Wednesday, the Qatari national team will play their second match in the group stage against the Chinese national team, and will conclude matches in this round on Thursday, by meeting the Iranian national team. 16 teams are participating in the tournament, distributed into 4 groups, where the first group included the teams of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Australia, and Hong Kong, the second group included the teams of Qatar, Iran, China, and Taipei, and the third group included the teams of India , Bangladesh, Japan, and Kuwait, while the fourth group include the teams of South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan. Source: Qatar News Agency

Following the record-setting FIFA Womens World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 that kicked off just over one year ago, 1,041 clubs from 48 FIFA Member Associations across all six confederations are to receive a share of the revenue for the release of players who participated at the tournament. The funds have been made available via FIFAs Club Benefits Programme (CBP), which was introduced for the first time ahead of the FIFA Womens World Cup France 2019 to recognise the fundamental role that clubs play in developing players. The total amount committed to clubs that released and/or trained the stars of womens football rose to $11.3m for the 2023 edition of the FIFA Womens World Cup from $8.48 million four years earlier. The increase in funding was an important part of FIFAs $152 million total package for participants for the tournament, and was a central element of the USD 499m that FIFA invested in the organization of last years showpiece. Nearly two million fans at the tournaments ten stadiums, and tw o billion following around the world, witnessed a new standard of womens football at last years FIFA Womens World Cup, and now the clubs that played integral roles in shaping the talents of all 736 players at the tournament are to be rewarded. The number of clubs that were identified by FIFA as eligible to receive payments via the FIFA Womens World Cup 2023 CBP increased by 219 clubs from 822 in 2019 to 1,041 in 2023. Positively, the number of clubs across FIFAs Member Associations also increased from 39 in 2019 to 48 in 2023. Each clubs share has been determined by the role that they played in a players development or participation in the tournament, either as a releasing club, a training club, or both. Each eligible releasing club will receive an equal amount per player per day at the tournament, counting from the beginning of the release period (10 July 2023) and finishing the day following the last match of the players national team at the tournament. Each training club will receive an amount based on the number of training periods the player spent at the club between ages 12 and 22, with each year consisting of a maximum of two training periods. The number of days that the player spent at the tournament is also factored in, however the number of minutes played by a player in any given match at the tournament is irrelevant, with all players treated equally based on the number of days that they were at the tournament. Source: Qatar News Agency

The State of Qatar has maintained a strong presence in the Olympic Games since its debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. The country has shown significant progress from one edition to the next, earning a prominent position among Gulf and Arab nations through the medals won by its athletes over the years. Qatar's total Olympic medal tally stands at eight: two golds, two silvers, and four bronzes. The Qatari delegation is optimistic about increasing this historic haul at the Paris 2024 Olympics, thanks to the unwavering support and continuous development of Qatari sports, which have propelled the nation to the top rank in the Gulf region and fifth among Arab countries in terms of Olympic medals. Qatar first participated in the Olympics at the Montreal Games in 1976 with an administrative delegation only. On March 14, 1979, the Qatar Olympic Committee was established, joining the International Olympic Committee in 1980 and the Olympic Council of Asia in 1981. Qatar's active participation began at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, competing in football, athletics, and shooting. The football team made a notable debut by drawing 2-2 with France, which went on to win the gold medal. Despite this strong performance, losses to Chile and Norway prevented Qatar from advancing to the quarterfinals. In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Qatar sent a delegation of 12 members, including eight athletes in athletics. This participation was crucial for gaining experience, especially as it was only the second Olympic Games held in Asia, following the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Qatar achieved its first Olympic medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The delegation of 31 athletes saw Mohamed Suleiman win the bronze medal in the mens 1500 meters, outpacing a field of renowned global athletes and marking a historic moment for Qatar and the Gulf region. The Qatari Olympic football team also excelled, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. They secured a 1-0 victory over Egypt, drew 1-1 with Colombia, and lost 2-0 to eventual champions S pain, advancing as the second team in their group but falling to Poland 2-0 in the quarterfinals. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Qatar's 12-athlete delegation competed in athletics, shooting, volleyball, and table tennis. This edition marked the Olympic debut of shooter Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, who would go on to achieve significant milestones in Qatari sports history. Additionally, Hamad Al Hamad participated in table tennis, having earned his spot by winning the West Asia Championship. Qatar's fifth consecutive Olympic participation came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in Australia. This marked the first appearance of Qatari swimmers in the Olympic Games. Qatar was represented by a delegation of 17 athletes competing in athletics, weightlifting, table tennis, shooting, and swimming. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Qatar secured a bronze medal in weightlifting through athlete Asaad Saif in the 105 kg category, marking the country's second Olympic medal. In the 2004 Athens Olympics in Greece, Qatar competed in five sports: shooting, wrestling, weightlifting, swimming, and athletics. Shooting champion Nasser Al Attiyah carried the Qatari flag during the parade. This participation was the largest for Qatar compared to previous Olympic editions, with a total delegation of 41 members, including 20 athletes. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics in China, Qatar participated in six sports: athletics, shooting, swimming, weightlifting, fencing, and taekwondo. The number of participating athletes increased to 22, along with the administrative delegation. This Olympic edition saw the largest Qatari athletics delegation to date, with 14 athletes, marking the largest compared to previous Olympic participations. The 2012 London Olympics marked a new milestone for Qatar with the achievement of two medals: a silver by Mutaz Barshim in the high jump event in athletics and a bronze by Nasser Al Attiyah in the skeet shooting event. This brought Qatar's total medal tally to four: one silver and three bronzes. Qatar participated in shooting, athle tics, swimming, and table tennis at the London Olympics, with four Qatari women athletes making their debut, and shooting champion Bahia Al Hamad carrying the Qatari flag at the opening ceremony. At the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil, Qatari successes continued with high jumper Mutaz Barshim winning a silver medal, giving Qatar its fifth Olympic medal. Qatar's delegation included 38 athletes representing 10 sports federations: athletics, handball, shooting, equestrian, boxing, beach volleyball, swimming, table tennis, judo, and weightlifting. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan marked another significant achievement for Qatar, recording its most successful participation ever. Qatar won two gold medals through Mutaz Barshim in the high jump and Fares Ibrahim in weightlifting, along with a bronze in beach volleyball, marking the first time an Arab team sport won an Olympic medal. This brought Qatar's total Olympic medal count to eight, with aspirations for more success in future Olympic Games. Source: Qatar News Ag ency

Al Sadd SC announced the appointment of Spanish coach Felix Sanchez to lead the first football team starting from the 2024-2025 season. In a statement on Tuesday, the club stated that Sanchez has signed a two-year contract, which will run until the summer of 2026. He is set to begin his duties with the team during their preparatory camp currently being held in Malaga, Spain, which will continue until July 29. The 48-year-old Sanchez began his coaching career as the coach of the under-19 team at Barcelona's academy from 1996 to 2006, after which he moved to work at Aspire Academy. He has also coached various Qatari national teams, including the under-17, under-19, and under-23 teams, before taking charge of the Qatari senior national team in July 2017, succeeding Uruguayan Jorge Fossati. Sanchez's first match as head coach of the national team was a friendly against Andorra on August 16, held in England. Sanchez led the Qatari youth team to victory in the AFC U-19 Championship in Myanmar in 2014, defeating North Korea in the final with a goal by Akram Afif. He also reached the final of the AFC U-23 Championship in China with the Qatari Olympic team. Sanchez's most notable achievement came when he guided the Qatari senior national team to win the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 2019, defeating Japan 3-1 in the final. Additionally, he led the team to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2021. Source: Qatar News Agency

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Referees Committee on Tuesday approved several decisions aimed at strengthening the quality of Asia's thriving match officials at its second meeting held virtually, further reiterating its desire to ensure the AFC remains at the forefront of world refereeing. At the outset, Referees Committee Chairperson Hany Taleb Ballan acknowledged the consistent rise of Asian refereeing in the global context. The Qatari official noted the continued appointment of the Continent's match officials on the world's biggest stages. The Committee praised the role of the AFC Referee Academy - now nurturing the skillsets of its fifth batch of referees after recently marking the graduation of Batch 2019 - in producing a constant stream of top level match officials and in extending development support to the AFC Member Associations since its pioneering launch in 2017, the AFC website reported. As part of efforts to ensure its game-changing impact, the Committee approved the Entry Age Criteria and Retention Period of the AFC Referee Academy. The minimum age limit will be increased from 23 to 25 years to align the Confederation with the entry age requirements of FIFA's International Referee nominations. Similarly, taking into consideration the three-year AFC Referee Academy curriculum, the maximum age limit will be raised from 28 to 33 years, bringing it closer aligned to the age criteria of the now-defunct AFC Recruitment Programme. At the same time, members of the Committee noted the importance of leaving no official behind in their learning journey and agreed to extend the retention period of graduates from one to two years, ensuring that no potential promising referee is overlooked for inclusion in the AFC Elite Panel. Members of the Committee were also apprised of the numerous seminars as well as selection and recruitment courses organised for the benefit of the AFC's MAs since its last meeting, which include the AFC Elite Futsal Referees Seminar, the AFC Elite Futsal Referee Instructors Sem inar, the AFC Video Assistant Referees Course and the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Referees Seminar, amongst others. Meanwhile, the progress of the AFC MAs' International Referees Quota for 2025-2028 and the AFC MA Refereeing Administration Project was also shared in greater detail. Source: Qatar News Agency

The Mexican Football Federation announced the appointment of coach Javier Aguirre to supervise the national team, succeeding Jaime Lozano, who was dismissed from his position last week. A statement issued by the Mexican Federation said "we are very pleased to announce the appointment of Javier Aguirre as head coach of the national team". Legendary former player Rafael Marquez will be Aguirre's assistant, to boost Mexico's chances at the 2026 World Cup, which it will co-host with the United States and Canada. The 65-year-old Aguirre previously led Mexico to the final stages of the 2002 and 2010 World Cups. He also coached the Japanese and Egyptian national teams, as well as a series of Spanish clubs including Atletico Madrid, Espanyol and Real Mallorca. Source: Qatar News Agency

President of the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA), and First Vice-President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), Khalil bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi, crowned the winners of the ITTF World Masters Championships Rome 2024. This edition of the Masters Championship is one of the largest in history in terms of the number of participants, numbering 6100, featuring a significant presence of former champions across the game's categories, representing 110 countries, with competitors' age ranges varying from 40 to over 80. Around 2500 officials and administrators took part in this edition, supported by 200 volunteers and 200 international referees, with 350 playing tables and 60 training ones. The Arab participation included players from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Palestine. Khalil bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi, who also heads the Arab and Asian Table Tennis federations, extended congratulations to the world champions, praising the event's amazing vibe. Al Mohannadi said that the Masters Championship c onsistently proves that age is just a number, showcasing passion and love for sports, with participants as old as 90 years. The QTTA President and ITTF First Vice-President affirmed that such tournaments clearly highlight the ITTF's vision of "The Table Tennis. For All. For Life." Source: Qatar News Agency