Tribune News Network
Doha
The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) announced on Wednesday that 180 athletes will represent Team Qatar at the 19th edition of Asian Games, which will run from 23rd September to 8th October, 2023, in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
Most notably, Team Qatar athletes will be competing in 27 sport disciplines, including shooting, athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, esports, equestrian, football, fencing, gymnastics, golf, handball, Juji karate, sailing, squash, swimming, tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, table tennis, volleyball, 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, weightlifting and archery.
Qatar’s beach volleyball team will kick off their campaign at the Games on Tuesday, September 19, four days ahead of the opening ceremony - while Qatar football and volleyball teams will begin fighting for top honours on Wednesday, September 20.
Qatar’s U23 football team has been drawn in Group A alongside Japan and Palestine while Qatar Volleyball team will play in group E alongside Thailand and Hong Kong.
In handball, defending champions Qatar will begin participation on Sunday, September 24 in Group B alongside South Korea, and Hong Kong.
Qatar had claimed the men’s handball gold medal at Incheon 2014 Asian Games with a 24-21 victory over hosts South Korea in the final and they later defended the title at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 Asian Games beating Bahrain 32-27 in the final.
With outpouring of hard work, Team Qatar is looking to open a new chapter of achievements at the Hangzhou Asian Games and take Qatar’s incredible sport record to a greater level - backed by a big support from the wise leadership.
HE Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee, met on Wednesday with the secretaries of the Qatari sports federations participating in the Asian Games. He praised the efforts made by the federations in preparing and equipping the Qatari athletes for the Games, wishing success to all the federations and hoping to achieve results that reflect the development of Qatari sports and its prominent presence at the continental level.
The Qatari administrative delegation for the Games also presented a presentation during the meeting on the ongoing preparations and the latest developments related to Qatar’s participation in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
On his behalf, the Qatar Olympic Committee Secretary-General, HE Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain appreciated Team Qatar’s participation at the Asian Games. He said together we can make these Games memorable and successful.
His Excellency continued, saying: "Qatar will have a significant presence in the upcoming edition of the Asian Games, represented by 180 athletes who aspire to deliver impressive performances and reach the podium. We wish all our athletes the best of luck and hope to continue the successes achieved in previous editions, showcasing a positive image of Qatari sports in this major Asian event.”
Al Buainain pointed out the participation of a significant number of young and promising Qatari athletes being a part of the strategy to prepare the teams for the Asian Games - Doha 2030, launched by the Qatar Olympic Committee to support and develop national sports federations and athletes to enhance performance and excellence in the Doha 2030 Asian Games.
The Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee expressed his confidence in the success of the 19th edition of the Asian Games and said: "We are confident that our friends in the People’s Republic of China are capable of organizing a remarkable edition of the Games, given the extensive preparations for the event and the organizational expertise gained from hosting several major sports events, including the 24th Winter Olympic Games in Beijing last year.”
Rashid Saeed Adiba, the Chef de mission, stated that preparations for the Qatari delegation’s participation for the Asian Games – Hangzhou 2022 have reached their final stages. "We will spare no effort in supporting all our federations and participating athletes, and we will work to overcome any challenges they may face to enable them to deliver impressive performances befitting Qatar and its sporting status,” he said.
At the 18th edition of Jakarta-Palembang 2018 Asian Games, Team Qatar signed off with a remarkable tally of 13 medals, including 6 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 3 bronze medals.
In athletics competitions, Qatar’s Abdelelah Haroon, may he rest in peace, took the gold medal of 400m event, Ashraf El-Seify won the gold medal in hammer throw event and Abdulrahman Samba clinched the 400m hurdles gold.
Team Qatar also claimed gold medal in the men’s 4x400m event.Tosi Ogunode won silver in the men’s 100m event while Yasser Bagharab won silver in the men’s 3000m steeplechase event, and Abubaker Haydar kept the winning streak clinching bronze medal in the men’s 800m.
Qatar’s beach volleyball team and handball team stole the spotlight by claiming the gold medals.
Faris Ibrahim claimed silver medal in the men’s 94kg weightlifting while Sheikh Ali Al Thani clinched the silver medal in equestrian’s individual showjumping event.
On the same track of glory, Hamad Ali Al Marri claimed the bronze medal of Men’s double trap event in shooting.