The Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation has announced its squash and padel teams for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with both squads targeting strong performances and medals at the continental event in Japan from September 19 to October 4.
The participation is particularly significant for Qatar’s padel team, as the sport will make its first official appearance at the Asian Games. Qatar will enter the competition with growing confidence after establishing itself as one of the leading teams in the region and recording strong results at Arab and Asian level.
In squash, Qatar will aim to challenge for medals in both the singles and team events, with the squad drawing on considerable experience from Asian and international competitions.
The squash delegation comprises head coach Amir Wajih Radwan, team manager Nasser Ahmed al-Obaidli and players Abdullah al-Tamimi, Syed Azlan Iqbal, Salem Yousef al-Malki and Ali Ahmed al-Darwish.
Leading Qatar’s challenge will be al-Tamimi, who won the bronze medal in the men’s singles at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. He also claimed silver at the 2025 Asian Squash Championships in Malaysia.
Al-Tamimi has enjoyed a series of notable results on the international circuit, including victory at the Cape Town Squash Championship in South Africa in 2024. He also won the Qatar Challenger Championship and the Atlanta and Qatar Professional Championships in 2023.
Qatar’s padel delegation includes coaches Pablo Nicolas Sisti and Florencia Sofia Galdo, administrator Rashid Abdullah Al-Baeer and players Rashid Nawaf Nayef, Mishari Nawaf Nayef, Hassan Adel Wali, Mohammed Saadoun al-Kuwari, Maha Abdul Redha Faramarzi, Hanan Hassan al-Abdulrahman, Mariam Mansour Al-Sultan and Dana Mohammed al-Mudahka.
Qatar finished runners-up at the inaugural Asian Padel Championships in Doha in 2025, winning the silver medal. The team also qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2021 after defeating Japan in the final of the Asia-Africa qualifiers.
The national team won the inaugural Gulf Padel Challenge Cup in 2022 and continued its progress at this year’s Gulf Games in Doha, where it recorded victories over Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Preparations for the Asian Games have included intensive camps for the squash team, focusing on physical conditioning as well as technical and tactical development. The players have also competed in a series of demanding friendly matches to sharpen their competitive readiness.
The padel squad has concentrated on improving understanding and coordination between its pairs, with particular attention on Mohammed Saadoun Al-Kuwari and Hassan Adel Wali. The preparations have included domestic and overseas training camps.
Tariq Zainal, Secretary General of the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation, said the two teams are fully prepared for the Asian Games and confident of producing strong performances.
Zainal said the preparations had strengthened the teams’ ambitions and expressed confidence in the players’ ability to advance deep into the competitions and challenge for medals.
He added that the federation’s ambitions extend beyond medals to the continued development of racket sports in Qatar, encouraging younger generations to take up the sports and strengthening Qatar’s presence on the Asian and international stages.
Qatar will send a 243-athlete delegation to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with 184 men and 59 women competing across 26 sports and 32 disciplines under 18 sports federations. The overall delegation will comprise 427 people, including athletes, technical and administrative staff, officials and media representatives.