Tag: Arabian Gulf Cup

QATAR : Individual honours, struggles, and mega events: Qatar’s 2024 in sports

A year that started with a sporting success in the form of an Asian Cup win at home ended in mixed results.

Titles, goodbyes, the highs and low: 2024 was anything but a boring year for Qatari sports as the country continued hosting mega events, yet similarly took a few stumbles on the pitch.

While the likes of Mutaz Barshim and Akram Afif dominated the headlines with their glories, the other side saw Qatari sides struggle to keep up their good form, whether in World Cup qualification or the Olympics.

Let’s take a look at some of the standout themes that defined Qatar’s 2024.

Barshim bags bronze in Paris Olympics 2024

Mutaz Barshim defied odds once again to win bronze at the Men’s high jump event, securing Qatar’s only medal of the Paris Olympics 2024.

While it was an underwhelming campaign for the Qatari contingent that had defied expectations to clinch two golds in Tokyo, Barshim’s win became a highlight. It was his fourth Olympic medal — a fitting end to a tournament that the high jumper had termed to be his last before the trip to Paris.

However, the 33-year-old multiple-time world champion hinted at the possibility of competing in the next Olympics, upon his return to Doha. “Never say never,” he said, in an exclusive chat with Doha News.

‘Sporting DNA : Mutaz Barshim keeps raising the bar and it all starts with his family

The year 2024 was also Aspire Academy’s 20th anniversary, which the country’s premier athletic scouting and training centre celebrated in style, hosting multiple seminars and events, such as the Aspire Global Summit as well as giving home to FIFA’s The Best Football Awards during its Gala Dinner in December.

Asian Cup triumph, Al-Haydos’ farewell and Afif’s ascent

The year ends in uncertainty for Qatar just like it started for Qatari football.

However, there were significant achievements in between. Much like the sport itself, it was a game of two halves for Qatari football — a perfect first half, followed by a tough second.

Qatar hosted and ultimately defended the Asian Cup crown in February as Akram Afif became the difference maker yet again. The tournament drew record attendance number as well as record engagement figures, underscoring yet another successful tournament in Qatar.

Al Annabi’s longstanding two-time Asian Cup-winning captain Hassan Al-Haydos retired from international football after the tournament, putting an end to the most capped Qatari career ever.

Qatar continued their good run under Bartolome Marquez Lopez at the World Cup Qualifiers thereafter, ending the second round unbeaten. The AFC U-23 Asian Cup was also hosted by the country in between, where Japan were crowned the champions.

It started going downhill with the loss against UAE at home with the start of the third round of the Asian Qualifiers to the FIFA World Cup 2026. While Afif clinched his second AFC Player of the Year title, Qatar’s hopes of making it to the tournament in North America hangs in balance with just two wins and three losses from the first six games. The team also crashed out of the group stages of the Arabian Gulf Cup following two draws and a defeat.

In the meantime, Qatar also hosted two of the Palestine national team’s qualifying games, the former of which in June saw Al Fida’i make it to the last round of World Cup Qualifiers for the first time in history with a 0-0 draw against Lebanon. Similarly, the Qatar U-20 team seamlessly qualified, at home, for the U-20 Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia next year.

Qatar was also the home to FIFA’s new club competition, the Intercontinental Cup, which saw European champions Real Madrid win in Lusail Stadium. The Stadium 974 was put to use for the first time since the 2022 World Cup for two of the tournament’s matches.

A good year for racket sports

The Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex was a busy venue this year as it hosted multiple tournaments throughout the year, including the Qatar Open tennis event in February, the QTerminals Qatar Classic Squash event in September and October, followed by the World Padel Championship in November.

Russian player Karen Kachanov won the men’s Qatar Exxonmobil Open, while Polish Iga Swiatek claimed the women’s event held in February. Qatar Exxonmobil Open will now return as an ATP 500 event and was also voted the best ATP 250 event on calendar for 2024.

The QTerminals Qatar Classic saw Diego Elias and Nour Al-Sherbini come out on top of the men’s and women’s events, marking a thrilling end to the squash event.

Argentina’s men’s team and Spain’s women’s team maintained their dominance by lifting the World Championship in Padel, which saw some of the world’s finest compete in Doha.

Qatar’s squash ace Abdullah Al-Tamimi capped the year off in style, winning the Cape Town Squash Open 2024 his first title away from Qatar since 2022.

Glory in motorsports and skydiving

Qatar won four gold medals at the World Air Sports Federation (FAI)’s World Championships which was hosted by Czechia’s Prostejov in the first week of September.

Qatar won three golds in events across the Canopy Formation category and bagged solitary gold in male Style and Accuracy landing in the six-day tournament.

It was yet another year of glory for Qatari rally driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, who clinched his third FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (WR2C) in October after winning the 2024 Rallye du Maroc with his French co-driver Edouard Boulanger for the Dacia Sandriders.

Al-Attiyah’s decorated racing career now boasts seven Rallye Du Maroc titles, in addition to five wins in the Dakar Rally and 13 Middle East Rally wins.

What also stood out, however, was Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari’s victory in the Middle East Rally Championship as well as the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation’s triumph in the Baja Middle East Teams Championship — all of whom were awarded in December at the annual FIA Awards.

Qatar also hosted the pinnacle of motorbike and motor racing, the MotoGP and the F1 Grand Prix – the latter of which saw record-breaking attendance at the Lusail International Circuit.

Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia won the MotoGP event held in March, whereas Max Verstappen rose against the odds to win his second Qatar Grand Prix on December 1, despite starting away from the front of the grid.

source/content: dohanews.co (headline edited)

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IRAQ: ‘Arabian Gulf Cup’ Kicks off in Basra,Iraq with Elaborate Opening Ceremony

Iraq is hosting the eight-nation football tournament for the first time in more than 40 years.

The Gulf Cup began with fanfare on Friday in Iraq’s southern city of Basra, sparking hopes of a bright future for the country’s embattled football prospects.

For Iraqis, hosting the biennial event will turn a new page in the troubled history of their country, boost relations with Gulf neighbours and represent a crucial move towards full national recovery.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani formally kicked off the tournament, hailing it as a “historic moment” which demonstrates “brotherhood among the Arab brothers in the Gulf”.

“Dear sport fans, thanks for your presence,” he said. “On your behalf and in the name of Iraq, we welcome the brothers, the visitors, the teams and the fans in the land in Iraq, the land of Mesopotamia and Basra.

“We wish all teams success and enjoyment to the fans.”

Mr Al Sudani was joined by Fifa President Gianni Infantino, Iraq’s Speaker of Parliament Muhammad Al Halbousi and the heads of the Gulf football federations.

As the sun set over the port city, the mood in and around Basra International Stadium was festive and electric with anticipation.

By the afternoon, more than 10,000 foreign fans had arrived in the city, located a short distance from Iraq’s borders with Kuwait and Iran, an official from Basra’s provincial government said.

Thousands of people gathered at the stadium, known as the Trunk of the Palm, its design inspired by the southern city’s palm trees. It was filled to its 65,000-person capacity with more soaking up the atmosphere outside.

Some fans pushed the guards back at one gate, breaking into the stadium perimeter, but no large disruption was caused.

As the ceremony began, poet Hazim Jabir, actress Enas Talib, actor Jawad Al Shakarchi and singer Hussam Alrassam took to the field, dressed in elaborate costumes in a performance that told the story of the city’s rich history and culture.

Once the ceremony wrapped up, the tone in the stadium shifted from excitement to intense focus as Iraq and Oman faced off in the first game of the tournament.

Travel to the stadium before the ceremony and opening matches snarled up traffic in the city. Others walked to the stadium, waving the Iraqi flag or wrapping it around their shoulders. Songs welcoming the participating teams blared from cars.

Those who couldn’t secure tickets packed the public square to see the opening ceremony on a big screen.

“Thank God the opening ceremony was very beautiful and well organised; I didn’t expect that, to be honest,” Ali Ibrahim told The National as he joined hundreds of fans in the city’s Tayaran Square.

Mr Ibrahim, 23, and his cousin were draped in the Iraqi flag.

“We are very proud of our Basra, which has become an international city now,” he said.

“It is really amazing to see the tournament eventually kicked off after waiting so many years,” Dhirgham Amir told The National.

Mr Amir, 20, came with his brother and sister to Al Tayaran Square.

“This will definitely change how Iraq looks like to the whole world as a dangerous place ravaged with terrorism,” he said, putting his nine-year old sister on his shoulders.

“A bright future mainly in sport is waiting Iraq,” he added.

The biennial Arabian Gulf Cup first took place in 1970. The last time it was held in Iraq was in 1979, when the hosts were crowned champions. Iraq also won in 1984 and 1988.

The event features teams from the Gulf Co-operation Council countries — Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and UAE — as well as Iraq and Yemen.

The most recent event was held in 2019 in Qatar and was won by Bahrain.

A bright future

“It is a step forward to retain Iraq’s normal position in the fields of sport, culture and society,” Basra Governor Asaad Al Eidani said before the start of the tournament. “It is a message to the whole world that we are capable.”

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq echoed those sentiments.

“By hosting the cup, Iraq showcases the unifying power of sports and its ability to harbour peaceful and respectful competition. We wish Iraq and its people a successful tournament,” the agency wrote on Twitter.

The eight teams playing in the tournament are divided into two groups.

Group A consists of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen, while Group B features the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

The winners and runners-up of each group proceed to the semi-finals on January 16 — where the winners of Group A play the runners-up of Group B, and the Group B winners take on the runners-up from Group A.

On January 19, the winners of the semi-finals meet in the Gulf Cup final.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Fireworks light up the sky over the Basra International Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup in Basra, southern Iraq, on Friday, January 6. Getty

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