The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) announced on Wednesday that 180 athletes will be representing the Team in the 19th edition of the Asian Games, which will run from Sep. 23 to Oct. 8, 2023, in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
Most notably, Team Qatar stars will be competing in 27 sports 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, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, weightlifting, and Archery.
Qatar beach volleyball team will kick off their campaign in the games on Tuesday, Sep. 19, four days away from the event’s opening ceremony – while Qatar football and volleyball teams will begin fighting for top honors on Wednesday, Sep. 20.
By taking a rapid look at the game schedule, the Qatar U23 football team were drawn in Group A alongside Japan and Palestine, while the Qatar Volleyball team will play in Group E alongside Thailand and Hong Kong.
Defending champions, the Qatar handball team will begin participation on Sunday, Sep. 24, in Group B with South Korea, and Hong Kong.
Team Qatar claimed the men’s handball gold medal at Incheon 2014 Asian Games after a 24-21 victory over hosts South Korea in the final match and they defended the title at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 Asian Games after beating Bahrain 32-27 in the final match.
With the outpouring of hard work, team Qatar is looking to open a new chapter of achievements in the Hangzhou Asian Games and take Qatar’s incredible sports record to a greater level – backed by big support from the wise leadership.
HE Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, met today 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, HE QOC Secretary-General Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain appreciated Team Qatar’s participation in these games. He said together we can make these games memorable and successful.
His Excellency continued, saying: that 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 as 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 nineteenth edition of the Asian Games and said in this context: “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 in 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.” In the 18th edition, Team Qatar signed off the Jakarta-Palembang 2018 Asian Games with a remarkable tally of 13 medals, including six gold, four silver, and three bronze medals.
In athletics competitions, Abdelelah Haroon, may he rest in peace, took the gold medal in the 400m event, Ashraf El-Seify won the gold medal in Hammer throw event and Abdulrahman Samba clinched the gold medal in the 400m hurdles event.
Team Qatar took the gold medal in the men’s 4x400m event, Tosi Ogunode claimed the silver medal in the 100m event, while Yasser Bagharab won the silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase event, and Abubaker Haydar kept the winning streak to clinch the bronze medal of 800m event.
Qatar’s beach volleyball team and handball team stole the spotlights by claiming the men’s gold medals.
Faris Ibrahim claimed the silver medal in the men’s 94kg weightlifting event, while Sheikh Ali Al-Thani clinched the silver medal in the equestrian’s individual jumping event. On the same track of glory, Hamad Ali Al Marri claimed the bronze medal in the Men’s double trap event.
Source: Qatar News Agency