By Sports Reporter/Doha


Qatar Swimming Federation today confirmed 12 swimmers will make up Team Qatar at this year’s FINA airweave Swimming World Cup. Some of Qatar’s most promising young swimming stars will feature as part of the squad as the nation continues its focus on developing a legacy for the sport after successfully hosting the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Doha last year.
Team Qatar will join more than 300 other athletes from all over the world at Hamad Aquatic Centre, set to come alive once again from November 2-3 as the world’s fastest and most competitive swimmers battle for World Cup glory. As a qualifying event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, fans can expect even more explosive action in the pool next month as World Champions, World Record holders and Olympians look to secure their place at next summer’s Games.
16-year-old Abdulrahman al-Kuwari, and 17-year olds Abdulla al-Yehari and Walid Daloul are amongst the young swimmers confirmed to represent Qatar. Three of seven Qatari swimmers that competed at the FINA Swimming World Championships (25m) on home soil last year, this year’s World Cup will provide a further opportunity for them to test themselves and gain invaluable experience competing against the likes of Chad Le Clos, Daniel Gyurta and Cameron Van Der Burgh - regulars on the World Cup circuit.
Abdulrahman al-Kuwari, who will continue his World Cup campaign here in Doha having already competed at the World Cup in Singapore this year, comments: “I have loved competing at these major competitions. It’s all a learning process for me and going up against the best swimmers in the world is the best way to learn and improve. We work hard as a team and we are all looking forward to doing our best in the World Cup in November.”
Supporting the new generation of Qatari swimmers is hugely important for the growth of the sport, Khaleel al-Jabir, President of Qatar Swimming Association and Executive Director of the Local Organising Committee explains:
“We are continuing to focus on developing talented swimmers across Qatar. Seeing our athletes competing at these events here in Qatar and around the world is testament to the hard work both of themselves and the coaching teams. Getting behind Team Qatar is crucial for us as a country and I would urge everyone to come down and support these young stars at the FINA Swimming World Cup in November.”
Nada Mohammed Wafa is also part of the Qatari team and at the age of 20, is one of the more experienced on the team. Nada was the first woman to represent Qatar at the Olympic Games in London 2012 and hopes to double her Olympic appearances and make the people of Qatar proud once again.
“Competing in the Olympics and representing my country was an extremely proud moment for me, but I don’t want it to be a one off occasion. I have been working my hardest this year and hoping I’ll be able to participate in my second Olympic Games in Rio next year - that would be really special.”
The full line-up of athletes representing Team Qatar at the FINA airweave Swimming World Cup 2015 – Doha, is: Abdulla al-Yehari; Abdulrahman Khalid al-Kuwari; Walid Daloul; Omar Hesham; Noah al-Khulaifi; Yacob al-Khulaifi; al-Obaidly Hassan Abdulaziz; Mesalam Abdulla al-Nabit; Abdulla Mohammed Aboughazala; Abdulrahman Hesham Mohammed; Firas Mourad Saidi; Nada Mohammed Wafa.
Don’t miss the opportunity to witness the excitement of the FINA airweave Swimming World Cup 2015 in Doha, November 2-3, by picking up your tickets from Virgin Megastores and online from just QAR10.

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