The delegation of Qatar’s padel national team returned home to a warm welcome on Sunday after qualifying for the Qatar Ooredoo World Padel Championship 2021. Qatar defeated Japan 2-1 in the final match of Asia-Africa Qualifications held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and booked their spot in the world championship. The Qatari delegation was received at the Hamad International Airport by the Qatar Olympic Committee’s Secretary General HE Jassim bin Rashid al-Buenain and Board Members of the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF).
QOC Secretary General lauded the achievement made by team Qatar stars who qualified to the 2021 world Championship, which will begin in Doha from today. Al-Buenain also appreciated the efforts of the QTSBF which made this achievement possible.
Qatar began their campaign in the qualifications on winning note, beating Senegal and Iran 2-0 to lead their group and qualify to the semi-finals where they edged past UAE.
The world championship will be staged at Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex with participation of 320 players from 16 nations. As per the draw held yesterday, Qatar will play in Group C alongside Brazil, Italy and Belgium.
The biennial championship, established in 1992 for both male and female players, has generally been hosted in Europe and the Americas, with Argentina being the most successful nation to date with a total of 13 medals (10 gold and three silver) won by the men’s team and 12 medals (8 gold and four silver) for the women’s.
The Spanish duo of Alejandro Galan Romo and Juan Lebron Chincoa, the world’s top-two, are some of the stars to watch out for in the men’s event. Gemma Triay Pons and her Spanish compatriot Alejandra Salazar Bengoechea, who are leading the women’s CUPRA rankings, are arguably the standouts in the women’s event.
Padel has been gaining increasing popularity in Qatar, and the country inaugurated the biggest indoor padel court in the Arab world in July.

Qatar Squad:
Mohamed Saadoun al-Kuwari, Abdulaziz Saadoun al-Kuwari, Khalid Saadoun al-Kuwari, Mohamed Abdullah, Abdullah al-Heji, Jabor al-Motaw, Essa Shanan and Mousa Shanan.

Groups
Group A: Spain, Chile, United Kingdom, USA; Group B: Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Denmark; Group C: Brazil, Belgium, Italy, Qatar; Group D: France, Paraguay, Germany, Poland