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Qatar Tourism has announced the opening of Nami Beach, a new leisure destination in central Doha designed to offer a high-end seaside experience within the city. In a statement released Thursday, the authority said the development was created in partnership with Loft A Trading and Contracting, aiming to blend coastal design with premium hospitality in a comfortable and contemporary setting. The beach features an infinity pool overlooking the sea, landscaped green spaces, beachfront lounges and private cabanas. Visitors will also have access to on-site facilities including showers and changing rooms. A range of dining options is available across the site. These include signature dishes at the main Nami restaurant, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine at Nami Greek, and health-focused offerings at Olive Green. Officials said the opening of Nami Beach strengthens Qatar’s position as a leading tourism destination, expanding its portfolio of high-quality leisure attractions for residents and visitors alike. 

Olympic Council of Asia and Qatar Olympic Committee President His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani met with Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China Feng Fei, Governor of Hainan Province Liu Xiaoming, and Secretary of the Sanya Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China Wang Qiyang in Sanya, China, on the sidelines of the Asian Beach Games, Thursday.  The QOC president expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation for the warm welcome and generous hospitality, praising the pivotal role played by China in supporting Asian sports.

His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), chaired the 109th meeting of the OCA Executive Board in Sanya, China, on the sidelines of the 6th Asian Beach Games Sanya 2026.**media[437832]**The meeting reviewed reports from organising committees, particularly the report of the Organising Committee for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The committee presented an update on preparations, noting that the Games programme will include 43 sports, 70 disciplines, and 468 events, alongside positive indicators of strong public interest and high ticket sales.**media[437831]**The Council announced that Doha, Qatar, will host the next General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia on January 27, 2027, during which the Council's President for the new term (2027-2035) will be elected. 

Qatar’s beach handball team began their campaign at the 6th Asian Beach Games – Sanya 2026 with two well-deserved victories over Pakistan and Oman in the opening matches of the men’s competition, which got underway Tuesday.President of the Olympic Council of Asia and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani attended the games along with Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman al-Kuwari, Second Vice President of the QOC; Jassim bin Rashid al-Buenain, Secretary General of the QOC, and Ahmed al-Shaabi, President of the Qatar Handball Association.**media[437829]**Qatar secured a 2-0 (17-14, 19-16) win over Pakistan in their opening match, before continuing their strong performance with another 2-0 (20-14, 18-14) victory over Oman. The team delivered a dominant performance in both matches, controlling the tempo from the start. Their well-organised play, attacking efficiency, and defensive solidity enabled them to secure both wins convincingly.With this strong start, Qatar are top of the group with four points, level with Thailand, boosting their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals and continuing their title defense.Qatar are drawn in Group B alongside Oman, Jordan, Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Thailand and Mongolia. Qatar will continue its campaign Thursday against Bangladesh and Mongolia, before facing Jordan on April 24, Thailand on April 26, and concluding the group stage against Maldives on April 27.**media[437830]**Qatar team captain Mutasim Abdulwahed described the two wins as an ideal start to the campaign. “We played both matches with high focus and strong determination to deliver our best performance, and thankfully we achieved two wins and a solid display,” he said.He added that the upcoming phase will be more challenging, stressing that the team has the ability to improve from one match to another, and that all players are determined to continue working with the same spirit to achieve their goal. “We aim to retain the title, and we will do our utmost to continue winning and deliver the best possible performance,” he concluded.Qatar 3x3 teams learn their pathIn 3x3 basketball, the draw placed Qatar’s men’s team in Group C alongside Bahrain, India, and Kazakhstan, while the women’s team was drawn in Group A with China and Kazakhstan.The men’s competition features 16 teams divided into four groups, while 15 teams are competing in the women’s event across four uneven groups. The competition will follow a round-robin format to determine qualification for the knockout stages.Qatar’s men will open their campaign on April 25 against Bahrain, before facing Kazakhstan and concluding the group stage against India. The women’s team will begin against China, followed by Kazakhstan. The knockout stage matches will take place on April 28, with the semi-finals and finals scheduled for April 29.Meanwhile, Qatar’s national sailing team continued its preparations, with the support staff focusing on enhancing the players’ physical and technical readiness, as well as adapting to the marine conditions at the competition venue.The team will begin its participation Thursday, with Tamim Shams competing in the Optimist event for boys, while Thani Shams will take part in the ILCA 4 competition.The Games, which conclude on April 30, feature 1,790 athletes representing 45 countries competing in 14 sports: 3x3 basketball, aquatics (open water swimming and water polo), aquathlon, athletics, handball, kabaddi, football, volleyball, wrestling, rowing (dragon boat racing), jujitsu, sailing, sport climbing, and teqball.Qatar is represented in this edition by 34 athletes competing in seven sports: men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's 3x3 basketball, handball, sailing, aquathlon, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling 

Qatar’s top beach volleyball pair, Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan powered into the semi-finals of the 2026 AVC Beach Tour - 25th Samila Open in Thailand after a flawless run marked by dominant straight-sets victories. The Qatari duo, former Olympic bronze medallists, and Asia's top beach volleyball pair, topped Pool B with authority before continuing their momentum in the knockout rounds. They secured their semi-final place with a convincing 21-9, 21-7 win over China’s Li Wei and Du Hongjun, then followed it up with another clinical performance against Kazakhstan’s Bogatu Sergey and Kirill Gurin, winning 21-16, 21-18 in Round 2. Younousse and Tijan will now face Australia’s D’Artagnan Potts and Jack Pearse in the semi-finals, as they aim to extend their unbeaten streak and push for the title. 

Akshay Bhatia birdied six of the first seven holes on the way to a four-under par 68 to seize a two-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am. With gusting winds at the seaside course’s signature 18th hole keeping balls wobbling and rolling out of position, Bhatia endured a hefty wait before missing a seven-foot birdie putt and closing with a par. “Always nice to get off to a good start,” Bhatia said. “Making six out of the first seven was pretty nice.” Despite his sizzling start, the 24-year-old American never made another birdie and finished 54 holes on 19-under 197, seeing a five-shot lead trimmed to two ahead of Sunday’s final round. “Just battling the elements at Pebble Beach is always fun,” Bhatia said. “Then you’re holding on for a little bit once you get to eight, nine, 10, 12. And then 17 is a brutal hole today. Happy with today for sure.” Sharing second on 199 was two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, who birdied five of the last six holes to fire a 62, plus fellow American Jake Knapp and Austrian Sepp Straka. American Jacob Bridgeman was on 200 and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama on 201. “I wanted to come out and win the tournament,” Morikawa said. “Now we’ve given ourself a chance.” Bhatia, who shared third last week at Phoenix, seeks a third career PGA title after wins at the 2023 Barracuda Championship and 2024 Texas Open. “One out of every 30 events we play can get this challenging,” Bhatia said. “I’m just looking forward to that and having a good time.” Sunday’s forecast features gusts around 35 mph after wobbling golf balls at 18 had Bhatia hoping for a moment for a delay to Sunday. “I was hoping so but tomorrow doesn’t look any better,” Bhatia said. “Our golf balls were just oscillating and technically it’s not a moving ball but it’s just hard to get over a putt when you see your golf ball moving forwards, backwards, backwards, forwards. It’s just brutal. “It’s hard to hit a putt like that with those conditions and with everything going on in your head. I was happy to make five there.” Bhatia began with birdie putts from five feet and nine feet on the first two holes, an eight-footer at the fourth and a 27-foot birdie putt at the par-three fifth. His superb start ended with a six-foot birdie putt at the par-five sixth and a birdie putt from just inside eight feet at the par-three seventh. Bhatia took bogeys at the par-three 12th and 17th holes. Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, who had shared the 36-hole lead with Bhatia, stumbled to a 74 to stand on 203. World number one Scottie Scheffler fired a 67 to share 22nd and stand eight adrift on 205 while defending champion Rory McIlroy fired a 72 to share 39th on 207. 

His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani paid his first visit to the headquarters of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in Kuwait Sunday as President. He chaired the 108th meeting of the OCA Executive Board, where the minutes of the previous meeting, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on January 26, were approved. The Executive Board members also discussed upcoming 2026 Asian Games, including the 2028 Asian Beach Games in the Philippines and the 2030 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Mongolia.**media[417545]**They were also briefed on the latest developments regarding the Afro-Asian Cultural Summit scheduled for March 28 in Kuwait. Sheikh Joaan met with OCA staff and thanked them for their efforts, saying: “I am delighted to be here at the OCA headquarters today. We have a strong team, and each and every one of you is a part of that team. Your hard work is appreciated, especially over the past few years.” He continued: “We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we look forward to achieving even more. We have three Asian Games in 2026, and as the new president, I am confident that everyone here will contribute their expertise to working with all the National Olympic Committees. We have a strong team, but we need to strengthen it further to overcome future challenges together.” 

A visit to Pebble Beach last year helped set up Rory McIlroy for one of the biggest moments of his golf career.McIlroy earned a two-shot victory at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach ‌Pro-Am, kickstarting a stellar run that saw him win the ​Players Championship before completing the ‌career Grand Slam by capturing the Green Jacket at the ‌Masters.The 36-year-old ⁠Northern Ireland native ‌is back on the Monterey ‌Peninsula this week to defend his Pebble Beach championship."Obviously last year was a ⁠great way to start the 2025 season," McIlroy said. "Historically I haven't played Pebble Beach that well. I've played OK, but nothing spectacular."I think winning on a golf course that I hadn't won on before, hadn't really contended on before, I feel like it gave me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season."He added ​of his triumphant performance at Pebble Beach Golf Links that he was pleased with "how in control I was with my ball flight, especially in tough conditions last ‌year on the Saturday. There ⁠was a ​lot of things that I worked on in the offseason that ​I brought with me into here. Yeah, it was a massive confidence boost and obviously then went on to play well in that early part of the season, won at The Players and then obviously into the Masters."Yeah, it was a perfect way to start the year here last year. Hoping for something similar this."An aggressive approach and clutch work on the greens were key to prevailing at Pebble Beach, McIlroy believes."I hit driver a lot, giving myself ‌short irons in," he ‌said of his 2025 strategy. "I think ⁠last year as well, it was probably the best putting performance I've ever ⁠had on poa greens. ⁠I usually come to the West Coast and I struggle a little bit on the poa, and last year I didn't. I holed a lot of putts and that was a big difference."McIlroy finished last season and started this season well, too. After the PGA Tour playoffs concluded, he captured ​the Irish Open, tied for third in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and finished second at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.After tying for 14th at the Australian Open to end 2025, he tied for third and tied for 33rd in two Middle Eastern events to kick off 2026."Game feels in good shape," McIlroy said. "I had two weeks in Dubai to sort of shake the rust off. Played ‌OK, wasn't anything spectacular. ​But I've had two nice weeks at home and done some practice. ... I feel pretty good coming in here." 

Australian surf lifesavers lined the shore of Sydney's Bondi Beach and fell silent Saturday to honour the 15 people shot and killed when gunmen fired into crowds at a Jewish festival by the sea.Scores of rescuers stood by the water's edge along the entire length of the beach, six days after the two alleged assailants carried out one of the deadliest mass shootings in Australia's history.The elder gunman, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, was shot and killed by police.His 24-year-old son Naveed survived and remains in hospital under police guard facing charges including terrorism and 15 murders.Facing the ocean while wearing their red-and-yellow uniforms, the lifeguards observed three minutes of silence.Some cried or hugged each other at the morning ceremony, with a surf lifesaving helicopter hovering overhead, television images showed.Volunteer surf lifesavers across the country, who number more than 200,000, were being asked to join the homage in solidarity with those affected by the Bondi attack before starting their morning patrols.Ocean rescuers wanted to recognise the "tragedy that has unfolded at Bondi while also reflecting on our respect and compassion for the Jewish community targeted by this attack", Bondi's two lifesaving clubs said in a message."We pay respects to those who lost their lives, those who risked their lives, those who worked so hard to save lives, and all of us who will never forget."Lifeguards at Bondi have been widely praised for their courage on the day of the December 14 attack, dragging people to safety, bandaging and resuscitating victims, and pulling panicked swimmers from the waves.A photo shared widely online showed lifeguard Jackson Doolan running barefoot down the road from a neighbouring beach towards the Bondi shooting, carrying a defibrillator to help victims.The local mayor described his actions as "remarkable".Australia will hold today a national day of reflection with the theme "light over darkness" marking a week after the attack started with a minute's silence at 6.47pm (0747 GMT).Flags will fly at half-mast, and Australians are being asked to light a candle in their windows to honour the victims and stand by the Jewish community, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said."Sixty seconds carved out from the noise of daily life, dedicated to 15 Australians who should be with us today," he told reporters Saturday. "It will be a moment of pause to reflect and affirm that hatred and violence will never define us as Australians."Federal and state authorities are talking with Jewish community leaders about establishing a permanent memorial at Bondi Beach, as well as holding a national day of mourning in the new year, Albanese said.The prime minister has announced a suite of national measures to crack down on gun ownership and hate speech, promising stricter federal laws and harsher penalties.Albanese is under pressure from critics who say his centre-left government has not done ⁠enough to curb a surge in antisemitism since the start of the Gaza war.New South Wales Premier Chris Minns outlined plans Saturday for his state to ban "hateful" slogans and symbols, such as Islamic State (IS) group flags, while giving police greater powers."The displaying of these symbols can only be done by someone who's either deranged or has an intention to insult and intimidate and scare," Attorney-General Michael Daley said in a televised media conference in Sydney.A joint counter-terrorism team including police and intelligence services is pursuing a broad investigation into the alleged gunmen's contacts and movements before the shooting.Authorities believe the pair drew inspiration from the IS group.Australian police are investigating whether they met with religious extremists during a visit to the Philippines weeks before the shooting.Detectives carried out raids with search warrants in Australia as recently as Friday, police said, without revealing the locations."We are leaving no stone unturned in Australia and overseas," Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a news conference Saturday.Police were gathering evidence to prosecute the surviving alleged gunman, she said. "We will identify the methods, capability and connections of these alleged offenders to determine who the alleged offenders communicated with leading up to the attack." 

The great form of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour continues as the Qatari Olympic medallists claimed the title of the Elite event held in Newport Beach. The hottest men’s team in international beach volleyball right now, they made it to the top of the podium in California on Saturday, flanked by two South American duos, as Brazilians Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci finished second and the Chilean Grimalt cousins Marco and Esteban ranked third in the tenth Elite event of the 2025 season. The 2025 season has been a different one for Cherif and Ahmed, who typically compete in almost every Elite event there is, but this year were limited to only six appearances on the Beach Pro Tour because of injuries. The bronze medallists of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, have, however, made the most of every opportunity they had to compete in 2025, winning four golds, with victories in the Elite events held in Gstaad, Rio de Janeiro and Newport Beach and the Xiamen Challenge. Disregarding the three forfeit defeats they were forced to accept at the Montréal Elite after Cherif got injured, the two have won 17 of their last 19 matches, including the last 11. “Winning here feels amazing,” Ahmed commented. “My wife is from the United States, and I am very happy to be here and win the gold medal. It means so much to our entire family.” At Newport Beach, Cherif and Ahmed made it to the top of the podium with an undefeated campaign of six victories and only one set dropped. In the final, they overcame Evandro and Arthur in straight sets (21-16, 30-28). “It was a really tough tournament, and the final was no different,” Cherif reacted. “We faced so many tough teams here, and we wanted to congratulate Evandro and Arthur, who had a really good run. We love to entertain people and give the fans a great final, and I think that today we did it. I hope everyone enjoyed it.”

Qatar’s beach volleyball duo, Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, clinched their third Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour gold of the year at the Rio de Janeiro Elite on Sunday.The third-seeded pair defeated Cuba’s Noslen Diaz and Jorge Alayo 2-1 (21-14, 17-21, 18-16) in a thrilling final.Younousse and Tijan had earlier won the Xiamen Challenge in May and the Gstaad Elite in July. Overall, it was Cherif and Ahmed’s fifth gold and ninth medal since the Tour was launched in 2022. The bronze medal went to the Dutch team, Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot.

Children are not permitted to swim alone in the sea without being accompanied by guardians or a responsible adult, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has said.“Children must be continuously supervised both in the water and on the shore,” Lt Col Ahmed Ali Saad from the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security explained.He was sharing the general guidelines for sea, beach-goers and marine activity lovers at a recent awareness webinar organised by the Public Relations Department of MoI in association with the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security.“Swimming is considered one of the beautiful and enjoyable water sports, and it is also one of the most beneficial from a health perspective. It is the best exercise for activating, moving, and strengthening most of the body’s muscles. Therefore, out of concern for public safety, the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security urges swimming enthusiasts to adhere to the following advice, guidance and instructions,” the MoI official said.He urged sea-goers not to swim in places where there are signs prohibiting swimming by the administration and avoid swimming, if they suffer from fever or feel extremely tired.“It is essential to check the sea conditions and any potential currents before entering the water,” he said, adding that it is mandatory to wear appropriate and designated swimwear.The official urged marine activity enthusiasts to not swim alone even if they are skilled swimmers. “Always ensure that someone is nearby to assist you if necessary. Do not swim far from the shore; always remain close to it and avoid moving away. Do not swim or play in the water at night due to the difficulty of being able to determine your location in the dark,” he said. Lt Col Saad urged not to attempt to rescue a drowning person unless one is trained in lifesaving. ”If you encounter any difficulties in the water, do not panic; remain calm, move your legs gently up and down, and raise your hands to attract the attention of others. If a water current pulls you, do not resist it. Instead, swim across it until it fades, then swim back to the coast. Always handle inflatable flotation devices with great care, as they can easily lose air due to wind or water currents, especially for young children. Do not swim in restricted zones or close to water scooter (jet ski) areas,” he added.If someone is seen in need of help in the water, the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security should be contacted immediately at 2354666 or emergency should be called at 999. “If you can, throw them something to keep them afloat until the rescuers arrive,” the official added.