Spanish star Rafael Nadal won the 2014 Qatar ExxonMobil Open in January this year. PICTURE: Jayan Orma



By Sports Reporter/Doha


The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) announced its annual calendar for sport events, activities and championships to be hosted in the country at both regional and international levels between April 1, 2014, and March 31, 2015.
As per the calendar, the country will host 99 events including 43 international events. Out of the 43 international events, there are 5 world championships including the 2015 IHF World Men’s Handball Championships from January 15 to February 1, 2015, the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) from December 3-7, 2014, the Qatar PSA Squash World Open 2014 from November 14-21, 2014, the 47th World Military Sailing Championships from November 21-30, 2014, and the World School Tennis Championships from March 8-15, 2015.
The calendar of events includes a high number of other international events as Doha will host the IAAF Diamond League, the Qatar International Karate Championship and the Sports Excellence Day in May while in June, Doha will mainly host the Qatar International Swimming Championship, the 3rd International Youth Handball Championship and the 5th World 9-ball Billiards Championship.
Among August events are the first round of the FINA Swimming World Cup in addition to international events in handball and basketball for youth categories.
The new edition of the Schools Olympic Program will start in September while the same month will also feature the 2014 edition of the IHF World Club Handball Championships (Super Globe).
In November, Qatar will host the Qatar International Beach Volleyball Championship, the Global Champions Tour Final 2014, the Qatar International Bowling Championship while December 2014 will be a very busy month as Doha will be staging a high number of events including the 1st Qatar Chess Masters Open, the Qatar Fencing Grand Prix, the Women World Fencing Cup, the 6th Match Racing International Regatta, the Al Zubara Cycling Tour, the 2nd FIBA 3X3 All Stars, the Qatar International Handball Championship, the 1st Qatar Show Jumping Championship, the Qatar Second Sailing Optimist Cup, the Al Rayyan International Show Jumping Championship and the second Qatar Weightlifting Cup.
In January 2015, Doha will host a new edition of the Qatar ATP ExxonMobil Tennis Open and the 18th Qatar Commercial Bank Golf Masters while the 4th edition of the National Sport Day will be one of the main events in February in addition to the 1st International Mini Basket Festival, the 7th Qatar Women Cycling Tour, the 23rd Sailing Gulf Regatta, the 14th Qatar Cycling Tour for men, the WTA Qatar Women Tennis Open, the 19th Qatar International Table Tennis Professional Championship, the 10th Qatar International Endurance Race 120 km, the 8th Qatar International Women Endurance Race 80 km, the 3rd International Women Handball Championship.
In March 2015, Qatar will host the CHI Al Shaqab Modern Pentathlon Championship, the Doha International Friendship Football tournament, the Qatar ITF Tennis Juniors Open and the 8th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup.  
At the Asian level, the calendar will be busy with several sporting events, including in July 2014, the AFC U22 football qualifiers tournament, in August, the Asian Juniors Basketball Championship.
October will feature the AFC-U16 Women’s Football championship and the Asian Cricket Council Under - 16 Tournament, while in November, there will be the Asian and the Middle East Water Skiing by Parachute Championship 2014 and the Qatar Asian Tennis Championship.
The Qatar Junior Asian Tennis championship will be staged in December while the month of January 2015 will mainly feature two Asian events: the 17th Asian Youth and 21st  Asian Junior Weightlifting Championship.
February will see Doha host the 1st Qatar Asian Tennis Championship before hosting the second edition of the same event in March. Other Arab and Gulf events are also to be staged in Qatar.
At the local level, the Qatar 2014-15 calendar is packed with multiple sport activities and events , including the final of HH the Emir Basketball Cup and the Qatar Football Cup in April, the final of the Qatar Volleyball Cup, the Qatar Excellence Day and the final of HH the Emir Football Cup in May, the final of the Qatar Handball Cup, the final of HH the Emir Volleyball Cup and the final of HH the Emir Handball Cup in June, the Olympic Day in December, the National Sport Day in February 2015, and the finals of the Schools Olympic Program in March 2015.
On the other hand, Qatar will also host a number of important sport related events such as the Doha Goals Forum (November 3-5, 2014), the 3rd FINA World Aquatics Convention from November 29 to December 1, 2014, and the Aspire4Sport Conference in March 2015.