QOC Sheds Light on Leading Qatari Athletes

Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) has shed light during its monthly media session on a number of Qatari athletes who have achievements in the different sports. 
QOC celebrated Qatar's handball captain Salima Al Marri, who won gold in the fifth edition of GCC women championship; artistic gymnastics player Ahmed Nabil; and beach volleyball players Abdelaziz Khallouf and Tamer Issa. 
Speaking during the event, QOC Secretary General Dr. Thani Abdulrahman Al Kuwari said QOC is committed to working side by side with all sports associations in order to provide support for all athletes and ensure that they receive the best care so as to perform at their best. 
"We are happy to see the emergence of new athletic talents in different sports day after day to represent Qatar at the highest level, particularly in women's sports and people with disabilities," Dr. Al Kuwari said, adding that "this reflects the big progress that Qatari sport is witnessing." He also predicted a brilliant future of sporting excellence in Qatar. "We are proud of all of our athletes and wish that their success will inspire the young generation to enter sports and excel at any level." Qatar's women national teams exceptionally succeeded in the GCC championship, which was staged in Doha last month, leading the rankings on 60 medals. Qatar participated with 88 players in table tennis, chess, fencing, athletics, shooting, Taekwondo, handball and basketball. 
Al Marri, who was named Qatar's best handball player in 2015 and 2017, said the national team's success has inspired a lot of Qatari girls to play handball and join the national team, adding that several girls applied during the championship to play with the national team. 
In March, Qatar also hosted the tenth Artistic Gymnastics World Cup, in which 240 athletes took part from 33 world countries, including Qatar's Ahmed Al Dayani, Ahmed Nabil and Jana Elkeky who all competed alongside world and Olympic champions at Aspire Dome. 
As for 17-year-old Nabil, his participation in the tournament has added to him a valuable experience that will enrich his sporting career, in which he aims to reach the world championship in Doha next year as well as qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The Arab champion is currently preparing for the Asian championship in Thailand next month. 
"My participation in the youth Arab tournament in Tunisia was a great experience," Nabil said, adding that he learned a lot from the professional players who accompanied the team during the training camp that took place ahead of the competition. 
Nabil said he will have several tournament and camps in the coming months, adding that they will provide him with a valuable opportunity to gain more experience and develop his performance, while achieving his dream of competing in the 2020 Olympics. 
Doha will host major sporting events in May, with the Doha Diamond League returning on May 4 at Qatar Sports Club as Qatar participates with a number of leading athletes including Olympic silver and bronze medalist Mutaz Barshim, Asian 100m record holder Femi Ogunode, and rising talent Abduraman Samba who recently broke a record in 400m hurdles. 
Aspire Park will host the Asian round of beach volleyball from May 3 to 6, in which 24 Asian countries will participate. The Asian round is the first masters tournament of the season. 
Three Qatari teams will compete in the event as they aim to benefit from playing at home backed by home fans to try and go as far as possible. 
Khallouf said the tournament will bring the strongest teams in Asia, expressing hope that they will achieve good results despite coming face to face against strong teams from Thailand, Australia and Kazakhstan. "We are confident of our ability to compete strongly and our aim is to beat them. We have a big ambition for the future and the Doha round will surely help us prepare for the world championship in Germany." For his part, Issa said playing in Doha in front of Qatari crowd as well as friends and family will give them a huge push forward to win, adding that the atmosphere will be enjoyable, particularly as it resembles the atmosphere they had during training, which would help them offer their best.

Source: QNA