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Hamad Nasser al-Qadi stole the spotlight during the second round of the ninth edition of the Qatar Equestrian Tour – Longines Hathab, winning the Golden Tour Friday at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s indoor arena. Riding Viahipi d'Auzay, al-Qadi produced a brilliant time of 27.99 seconds to secure first place, ahead of Khaled Mohammed al-Emadi on Qapella Di Lino (29.06) and Mohammed Saeed Haidan on Quick Bill (30.44).**media[361695]**In the Golden Tour team competition, Wathnan emerged victorious with a combined time of 68.92 seconds, edging Al Salam (69.49) and Lekhwiya. Tournament Director Abdullah al-Marri presented the awards to the winners.The day began with the Future Riders Round at 70 cm, where Nasser Hamad al-Thani claimed first place on Friedrichshof Dark Dream in 52.21 seconds, just 0.21 seconds behind the ideal time. Alya Ahmed al-Khater secured second with Soul Rebel (52.37), while Salman Faisal al-Marri finished third, also on Friedrichshof Dark Dream (52.66). Ahmed Khaled al-Humaidi, Equine Program Advisor at Al Shaqab, crowned the winners.**media[361696]**In the 110cm Open Tour, Yaqoub Nasser al-Mass impressed with a winning ride aboard Equinoxe de l'Aulne in 47.81 seconds. Khaled al-Hadi followed with back-to-back second and third places on Doremi du Flot Z (49.01) and 0 Carlton de Sauvageonn (49.25). The Junior category of the same round saw Mohammed Faisal al-Marri come out on top with Chou Chou Z (52.21). Sharida Nasser al-Kaabi on Extra Pam (55.36) and Mohammed Hamza al-Kuwari on Carte Blanche (55.75) placed second and third, respectively. Omar al-Buainain, Director of the Support Services Sector at the Qatar Equestrian Federation, crowned the winners.The second round concludes Saturday with the Diamond Tour, Silver Tour and Future Knights round. The Longines Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour, jointly organised by the Qatar Equestrian Federation and Al Shaqab – a member of Qatar Foundation – features 14 rounds to be held until May 2026. It stands as one of the country’s most prominent equestrian championships.

Mohammed Saeed Haidan set the pace on the second day of the ninth Qatar Equestrian Tour Longines Hathab, winning the Diamond Round (150cm) with a blistering time of 30.42 seconds aboard Quick Neck. Saudi rider Khaled al-Eid followed in second and third place, clocking 34.41 seconds with Q Line and 37.15 seconds with Racker.In the Juniors Round, Sherida Nasser al-Kaabi took first place in 21.52 seconds on Extra Bam, edging Amer Hamad al-Mansouri (21.76, Flexi) and Hadi Nasser al-Shahwani (21.85, Monopoly).The Open Round was dominated by Yaqoub Nasser al-Mas, who stormed to victory in 20.26 seconds on Iconix. Khalid al-Hadi came second with Carlton (21.24), while Nada al-Rubaish placed third on Murdock (21.35).In the Future Riders Tour, Hessa Ali al-Jaber produced the closest ride to the perfect 50-second mark, stopping the clock at 50.63 on Jeel. Alia Ahmed al-Khater followed with second and third place finishes in 50.81 (Sita) and 50.88 (Zoro).The first round concludes Saturday with the Gold and Silver Rounds, the Future Riders Round, and Dressage competitions at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s indoor arena.

Visit Qatar held two dialogue sessions in Mumbai recently, engaging the country’s leading tour operators and wedding planners.This is part of Visit Qatar’s growing economic and industry partnerships with India, one of the organisation’s priority growth markets, a statement said.During the interactive sessions, Visit Qatar chief executive engineer Abdulaziz Ali al-Mawlawi spoke alongside a number of representatives who highlighted key upcoming initiatives and potential opportunities for further collaboration between the two countries and attract more travellers and event organisers to Qatar.Through presentations, interactive question and answer sessions, recognition ceremonies, and networking, the events showcased Qatar’s world-class hospitality, seamless connectivity, and diverse offerings, reinforcing its position as the luxury destination of choice for Indian travellers and wedding celebrations, the statement added.

The draws for the first Platinum event of the 2025/26 PSA Squash Tour season have been released, with World No.1s Mostafa Asal and Nouran Gohar named as the top seeds for the QTerminals Qatar Classic 2025.Returning to the PSA calendar for its 22nd edition, the QTerminals Qatar Classic will see 64 of the world's leading squash players descend upon the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha from September 28th to October 4th. Every second of action will be available to watch live on SQUASHTV.Current World Champion Asal leads the men's field and will arrive targeting a first Qatar Classic title of his career. Last year, 'The Raging Bull' enjoyed a standout season, which yielded seven title successes and just six defeats from his 60 matches on the PSA Squash Tour.At the other end of the draw, World No.2 Diego Elias has been named as the No.2 seed and will return to defend the trophy he captured in stunning fashion 12 months ago. Last year, the 28-year-old defeated then-World No.1 Ali Farag and Asal in straight games each to lift the title, whilst also having won the event back in 2021. Elias will also be hoping to replicate his recent form against Asal if they were to meet in the final, having defeated the World No.1 in six of their last seven meetings on tour.Elias can be found in the same half of the draw as No.4 seed Joel Makin, who ended his 2024/25 campaign in superb form, capturing the first major title of his career at the PSA Squash Tour Finals. The 30-year-old Welshman will have to be on his guard right from the get-go, however, having drawn two-time World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria in round one, before a potential second-round tie with fellow up-and-coming talent Jonah Bryant.World No.4 Paul Coll has been handed an equally tough draw, with the hugely talented World No.10 Youssef Ibrahim awaiting the Kiwi in what could prove to be a blockbuster first-round tie.Two Englishmen and two Egyptians occupy the 5/8 seeding positions in the men's draw, with the ElShorbagy brothers, Mohamed and Marwan, joined by Karim Abdel Gawad and Youssef Soliman. England's Mohamed has enjoyed vast success at the Qatar Classic, picking up the title in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2022 and will open his account against Spanish No.1 Iker Pajares.Meanwhile, in the women's draw, World No.1 Nouran Gohar and World No.2 Nour El Sherbini have been named as the top two seeds in their respective halves of the draw, with Gohar arriving looking to overturn her five-game defeat to her arch-rival in last year's final. 'The Terminator' has won almost all there is to win in the sport, but the Qatar Classic crown is a piece of silverware that has eluded her since its return to the PSA calendar in 2023. Her account begins with a tricky opening round match against British No.1 Georgina Kennedy.Gohar can be found in the same half of the draw as World No.4 Olivia Weaver, who will be looking to continue where she left off at the backend of the 2024/25 season. The USA No.1 reached her maiden major final on tour at the PSA Squash Tour Finals, but is still eying a first career win against any of the established 'Big Three' in the women's game.Elsewhere, El Sherbini faces a potential blockbuster semi-final with World No.3 Hania El Hammamy, if the pair were to come through their respective draws. The last two editions of the Qatar Classic have seen the Egyptian pair deliver two five-game thrillers, with the winner of their encounter going on to pick up the title on both occasions.Further back in the top-eight seedings, three-time World Junior Champion Amina Orfi, Japan's Satomi Watanabe, Belgium's No.1 Tinne Gilis and Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam will all be hoping to launch bids into the latter stages of the event.Local favourite Abdulla al-Tamimi will lead Qatari hopes as he makes his tenth appearance at the Platinum-level event. The World No.22 takes on compatriot and tournament wildcard Ali al-Darwish in round one, while the second wildcard in the men's event, Salem al-Malki, faces Fares Dessouky.The DrawWomen's:[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v Georgina Kennedy (ENG)Nada Abbas (EGY) v Jasmine Hutton (ENG)Georgia Adderley (SCO) v Nele Gilis (BEL)[WC] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v [8] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)[6] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) v Aira Azman (MAS)Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v Rachel Arnold (MAS)Hana Ramadan (EGY) v Marina Stefanoni (USA)Kenzy Ayman (EGY) v [3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)[4] Olivia Weaver (USA) v Farida Mohamed (EGY)Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) v Mariam Metwally (EGY)Tesni Murphy (WAL) v Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY)Ka Yi Lee (HKG) v [7] Tinne Gilis (BEL)[5] Amina Orfi (EGY) v Melissa Alves (FRA)Aifa Azman (MAS) v Tomato Ho (HKG)[WC] Nour Heikal (EGY) v Hana Moataz (EGY)Sana Ibrahim (EGY) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)Men's:[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Ramit Tandon (IND)Baptiste Masotti (FRA) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)Declan James (ENG) v Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY)Greg Lobban (SCO) v [8] Youssef Soliman (EGY)[6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Abhay Singh (IND)Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [WC] Salem al-Malki (QAT)Curtis Malik (ENG) v Juan Vargas (COL)Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [3] Paul Coll (NZL)[4] Joel Makin (WAL) v Mohamad Zakaria (EGY)Jonah Bryant (ENG) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)Abdulla al-Tamimi (QAT) v Ali al-Darwish (QAT)Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) v [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (ENG)[7] Mohamed ElShorbagy (ENG) v Iker Pajares (ESP)Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v Raphael Kandra (GER)Mazen Hesham (EGY) v Dimitri Steinmann (SUI)Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [2] Diego Elias (PER)