Category: Athletic

Riyadh: The Saudi National Team Fans’ Council is providing buses for fans wishing to support the Saudi Olympic team in the football match against Iraq, scheduled for Monday at the conclusion of the group stage matches in the AFC U23 Asian Cup, held in Qatar.

The buses depart Monday afternoon for the Qatari capital, Doha, and will return to the Kingdom that same night. The Saudi Olympic team seeks to secure the top spot in the group.

The council has designated Al-Ettifaq, Al-Qadsiah, Al-Fateh, Al-Adalah, and Al-Khaleej football clubs as registration centers for fans wishing to travel to Doha by bus. The council’s account on X will begin distributing tickets to fans present in Doha and those wishing to attend in person as of tomorrow.

The provision of buses is part of the council’s effort to enable Saudi fans to participate, and demonstrate continuous support for the team on its journey to achieve the desired qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics and maintain the title.

The Saudi Olympic team tops Group
C with six points from its victories over Tajikistan and Thailand, while the Iraqi team ranks third with three points, tied with Thailand in second place on goal difference.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh: The 2024 Fencing World Championship for Juniors and Cadets, hosted by Riyadh and in which 1,700 athletes representing over 100 countries took part, concluded yesterday at the King Saud University Arena.

President of the Asian and Arab Fencing Federations Sheikh Salem Al Qasimi crowned the winners of the final day of the under-20 teams (U20) tournament. The US won the gold medal, the Romanian team won silver, and the Italian team won the bronze medal.

Saudi Fencing Federation Board Member Lama Al Fozan crowned the women winners of the tournament U20 teams. The French team won gold, Italy silver, and Hungary bronze.

Attending the crowning ceremony were Vice President of the International Fencing Federation Abdel Moneim El-Husseiny and President of the Saudi Fencing Federation Ahmed Alsabban.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh: The three top places in the Show Jumping World Cup, a part of the 2024 Dressage and Show Jumping World Cup, which concluded yesterday, Saturday, praised the tremendous success of the tournament, during which they had a busy week culminating in their achievements.

The event took place at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center (RICEC).

Additionally, they lauded the Saudi audience’s large turnout for the championship, which contributed to the tournament’s success and atmosphere.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Doha: The Qatar Volleyball Association announced on Sunday the match schedule for the final rounds of HH the Amir Volleyball Cup for the 2023-2024 season, to run from May 4-17.

Competing in the quarter-finals, May 4, will see Al Arabi face off Al Ahli, and Police SC play with Al Sadd, for two winners to go up to the semi-finals.

Likewise, May 5, will see Al Rayyan compete against Al Wakrah, and Qatar SC face off Al Gharafa.

The qualifiers of the HH the Amir Volleyball Cup for the 2023-2024 season included Al Ahli, Al Wakrah, Al Gharafa, Al Sadd, Al Shamal, and Al Khor, which were categorized into two groups, out of which four teams emerged victorious and joined Qatar’s top-4 ranking clubs of Al Arabi, Al Rayyan, Qatar SC, and Police, to compete for the quarter-finals.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Feyenoord Rotterdam claimed the Dutch Football Cup for the 14th time in their history after defeating Nijmegen 1-0 in the final match on Sunday.

The only goal of the match was scored by Igor Paixao in the 60th minute.

Feyenoord ended the match with ten players after their player Yankuba Minteh was sent off in the 74th minute after receiving two cautions.

Participating in the final for the 18th time, Feyenoord regained the championship title and their last win was in 2018. (QNA

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: 500 volunteers are participating in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which is held in Qatar, where they play a pivotal role in supporting the operational operations to achieve a successful hosting of the tournament, as well as providing all facilities and services to media representatives covering the tournament’s activities.

Qatar has established a culture of volunteer work among members of society and has a long-term track record of volunteer work while hosting major sporting tournaments and events. More than 20,000 volunteers participated in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, while the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 witnessed the participation of nearly 6,000 who contributed to supporting the tournament’s operations, starting with fan services and ending with transportation services.

Shahad Al Maraghi, a Qatari volunteer in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup volunteer team, said that volunteer work provides a unique opportunity to contribute positively to society and return the favor and gratitude to Qatar. She noted the impact
of volunteer work in enhancing belonging, self-realization, and a sense of accomplishment, as well as honing many skills. She pointed out that she is a volunteer in the tournament’s media operations team, her role is to ensure that all facilities and services are provided to media representatives covering the tournament’s matches and events. She also feels proud to participate in helping journalists broadcast the matches in audio and video and introduce the world to Qatar’s capabilities and rich culture along with its authentic customs and traditions.

The AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which was launched for the first time in 2013, is being hosted in Qatar for the second time after hosting it in 2016.

The tournament will run from April 15 to May 3, 2024, and will witness the participation of 16 of the best teams in Asia to compete and obtain a qualification card for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

The teams that finish in the first three places in the Asian championship will qualify to participate in the next Summer
Olympic Games, while the team that comes in fourth place will face a team from Africa in a decisive playoff for the last ticket. (QNA

Source: Qatar News Agency

Manchester United reached the FA Cup final after defeating Coventry City on Sunday in the semifinals at the Wembley Stadium.

The original and extra time ended in a 3-3 draw, leading the teams to penalty shootouts, where Manchester United secured a 4-2 victory.

Scott McTominay scored in the 23rd minute, followed by Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes netting the second and third goals in the first minutes of stoppage time of the first half and the 58th minute, respectively.

For Coventry City, Ellis Simms scored in the 71st minute, Callum O’Hare in the 79th minute, and Haji Wright in the fifth minute of stoppage time of the second half.

The teams played extra time without any further goals, leading to Manchester United’s win in the penalty shootout.

Manchester United will take on Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Al Khor officially promoted to Qatar Stars League (QSL) after defeating Al Sailiya 2-0 in a match played today at Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium within the 14th round of the second division league.

Al Khor’s goals were scored by Moroccan Adil Al Rhaili and accidentally by Yannis Merah in the 87th and 89th minutes.

Al Khor crowned champion of the second division league with 33 points, after winning ten matches, drawing three and losing one, to reserve its place again in the QSL.

Al Khor promoted again under the leadership of Qatari coach Abdullah Mubarak, as the team was relegated to the second division in the 2021-2022 season after occupying 12th and last place in the QSL standings.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Riyadh, Advisor Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al Alshaikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), announced the partnership between Riyadh Season and the World Boxing Council (WBC).

Highlighting the significance of this collaboration, he said “This partnership represents a vital step forward for Riyadh Season’s mission to elevate Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector”, adding that WBC’s standing as a leading and respected organization in the boxing world makes the alliance particularly impactful.

Al Alshaikh said Riyadh Season strives to unite audiences worldwide through a captivating and diverse range of entertainment experiences, and as such, “this collaboration with WBC presents a unique opportunity to attract a global audience,’ according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Mauricio Sulaiman, WBC President, said: ‘We are pleased to welcome the Riyadh Season as a new official partner of the World Boxing Council. The Riyadh Season is a huge event, considered one of the larges
t entertainment events in the world, and the sport of boxing has recently been linked to it, as Riyadh has become internationally recognized as the capital of boxing sport, where three exciting fights were held during the previous Riyadh season.”

Adding that the cooperation between the two entities will generate many ‘distinctive and unique opportunities’, Sulaiman stressed that ‘we look forward to participating in this growing passion in Saudi Arabia”.

‘This partnership will create opportunities and memories that will extend into the lives of many boxing fans around the world through social responsibility programs that include ‘WBC Cares’ programs in hospitals, orphanages, and schools, in addition to awareness programmes with experts in the fields of addiction, bullying, domestic violence, and mental health,” Sulaiman said.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Doha: South Korea defeated the UAE 1-0, in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2024 match they played today at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium at Al Duhail SC, in the first round of Group B of the competition.

Lee Young-jun scored the only goal of the match in the fourth minute of injury time. AFC’s official website said that the last gasp win saw Korea share the top spot of Group B with Japan, who beat China 1-0 as well earlier today. Korea Republic dominated the early proceedings but UAEs compact defence made it very hard for the 2020 winners to find a way through as they were limited to attempts from outside the box.

Korea Republic will face China next, while the UAE will look to return to winning ways when they meet Japan next.

Source: Qatar News Agency