Both Qatari men's beach volleyball teams have qualified for the Round of 16 at the Asian Beach Games – Sanya in China after securing two more victories yesterday in the preliminary stage.
The first team, comprising Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, defeated Uzbekistan 2-0 (21-14, 21-9), while the second team of Mohamed Ehab and Moussa al-Khair maintained their winning run with a 2-0 victory over Macau (21-10, 21-5). Both teams will play their final group matches today to determine the top spot in their respective groups and confirm their Round of 16 opponents, with the knockout matches scheduled for tomorrow. The first team will face Iran, while the second team take on hosts China.
Meanwhile, Qatar's women's teams suffered defeats in their opening matches. Malak Hashim and Nelly Shalabi lost to South Korea 0-2, while Haya Abu Issa and Laila Mohammed went down to Sri Lanka by the same scoreline.
Qatar have previously enjoyed success in beach volleyball at the Asian Beach Games, winning bronze at the 2014 Phuket edition before claiming both gold and silver medals at the 2016 Da Nang Games, highlighting the steady progress of the sport in the country.
Beach handball team overcome Jordan
Qatar's beach handball team strengthened their position at the top of the group with a 2-0 victory over Jordan (22-18, 18-16) in their fifth match of the group stage. The win lifted Qatar to 10 points from five consecutive victories, underlining their consistent form and strong start to the competition.
Qatar conclude their group-stage campaign against Thailand tomorrow before facing the Maldives on Monday, aiming to maintain their lead and secure qualification for the semi-finals.
3x3 basketball teams begin campaign
Qatar's men's 3x3 basketball team open their campaign today against Bahrain before facing Kazakhstan later in the day. The women's team also begin their participation with a challenging match against China, one of the tournament favourites, before taking on Kazakhstan on Monday in their second group match.
The men's squad includes Mohammed Bashir, Dejan Janic, Nadem Muslic and Osman Deng, while the women's team features Sama Jasser, Tania Al-Tawil, Mona Al-Sayed and Alaa Suleiman.
In jiu-jitsu, Ahmed al-Qardaghi exited the competition after losing to Jordan's Alaa Aldin al-Khazai in the Round of 16 of the 77kg category.
China lead medal standings
China continue to top the medal table at the Asian Beach Games – Sanya 2026 with a total of seven medals - four gold, two silver and one bronze. The United Arab Emirates are second with four medals - two gold, one silver and one bronze - while the Philippines sit third with three medals - two gold and one bronze. Vietnam follow in fourth place with one gold and one silver, while the Republic of Korea are fifth with two silver medals.