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Qatar's sharpshooters secured four medals (two silver and two bronze) at the start of their campaign in the Arab Shooting and Airgun Championship, currently underway at the National Olympic Complex in Muscat, Oman. The championship features 141 marksmen representing 14 countries and concludes on December 26. The Qatari medalists were: Abdulrahman Al Sulaiti, who won silver in the 10-meter airgun individual youth category; Ritaj Al Yafai, who also won silver in the 10-meter airgun individual junior women's category; Khalid Al Sharshani, who won bronze in the 10-meter airgun individual men's category; and the women's team of Maha Al-Ali, Dalal Al-Qubaisi, and Fatima Al Abdulrahman, who each won bronze in the 10-meter airgun team event.**media[396375]**The Qatari shooting team is participating in the Arab Championship with a delegation of 17 shooters (men, women, and juniors from both genders) competing in the rifle and pistol events. The delegation is headed by Executive Director of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Aji Al Aji praised the strong performances of the Qatari shooters on the first day of the championship, noting their winning of four medals in the rifle competition.**media[396376]**Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Aji said that the competition was intense and exciting among most of the participating shooters from various Arab countries. He added that the Qatari shooters demonstrated high level of skill and ability to compete with Arab champions, securing four medals: two silver and two bronze in the rifle event. He said that Tuesday's competitions will include the 10-meter air pistol, 25-meter pistol, and 50-meter rifle events.  

The 10th Qatar International Weightlifting Cup 2025, Arab Weightlifting Championship and West Asia Weightlifting Championship started here on Saturday. The three simultaneous competitions are being held under the supervision of Qatar Weightlifting Federation (QWF). These events will run until December 27.This multi-tiered sporting event underscores Qatar’s prominent position on the global sports map and reaffirms its technical and organizational capabilities in staging major international competitions.The technical meeting for the three championships was chaired by Mohammed bin Yousef Al-Mannai, First Vice President of Qatar Olympic Committee, Vice President of the International Weightlifting Federation, and President of the Qatari, Arab, Asian, and Afro-Asian Weightlifting Federations.The meeting was attended by Mohammed Hassan Jaloud al-Shammari, President of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF); Mohammed Al-Harbi, President of the Saudi Weightlifting Federation; Jassim Ibrahim Al-Mansouri, Secretary-General of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation; Dr. Abdullah al-Jarmal, Vice President of the Asian Weightlifting Federation; along with representatives of participating delegations and members of the organizing and refereeing committees.

Visit Qatar has successfully concluded the inaugural Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final, held from December 10 to 13 in Lusail, marking a major milestone in Qatar’s growing international sporting calendar. The four-day event brought together elite athletes, amateur competitors and community participants from across the world, reinforcing Qatar’s position as a leading host of world-class endurance sport.The event attracted a total of 5,171 participants across all race categories, reflecting strong international interest and community engagement. Running events saw 3,087 participants, with 2,334 runners competing in the 5km community run and 753 children taking part in the 1km run. Triathlon participation totalled 2,084 competitors, including 63 athletes in the Youth Super Sprint, 1,125 competitors in the 100km Open race, 255 participants in the inaugural T100 Age Group World Championship, and 642 athletes in the Sprint Triathlon. Participants from the United Kingdom topped the list of nationalities, accounting for 11% of competitors, followed by Qatar at 10%, the Philippines at 6%, France at 2%, and Germany at 1%.Ahmed Al Binali, director of Festivals and Events at Visit Qatar, said: “The Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final delivered an outstanding celebration of elite sport, complemented by strong community participation. From world-class competition in Lusail to thousands of participants across running and triathlon events, the four-day programme highlighted Qatar’s proven capability to host major international sporting events that engage athletes, residents and visitors.”In the men’s professional race, New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde was crowned T100 Triathlon World Champion after completing a perfect season, winning every T100 race he entered. He was joined on the podium by Morgan Pearson of the United States in second place and Belgium’s Marten Van Riel in third.In the women’s race, Great Britain’s Kate Waugh secured her first T100 World Championship title following a consistently strong season. She was followed by fellow Briton Georgia Taylorbrown in second place, with Swiss Olympian Julie Derron completing the top three.The 2025 T100 Triathlon World Tour features more than $8mn in total athlete prize money and compensation. The individual men’s and women’s winners of the T100 Race to Qatar series each received $200,000, in addition to race-specific prize earnings from the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final.Qatar’s global positioning as a hub for international sporting excellence continues to grow, with the 2025 T100 Triathlon World Championship further enriching its sporting legacy and highlighting its position as a leading destination for world-class sporting events.

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) announced that Kia as the Official Transport Partner for the 2025 Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final, taking place in Doha from December 10 to 13.This marks Kia’s first partnership with the PTO in the region, supporting the launch of a major global triathlon event in Qatar and bringing the world’s best triathletes and fans together in a thrilling celebration of sport.Kia joins the T100 Triathlon World Tour as Official Automotive Partner for the Doha event, uniting two brands driven by performance, innovation, and design excellence.As Kia introduces its latest range of premium vehicles to the market, the partnership provides a powerful platform to showcase its multi-utility capability, refined craftsmanship, and bold new aesthetic.Kia vehicles will play a central role across the event, supporting the athletes, enhancing the overall experience, and connecting the brand with a global community that shares its spirit of progress and ambition.Stuart Ramsey, PTO Chief Commercial Officer, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Kia, through its official distributor Al-Attiya Motors and Trading Co (AMTC), as a key partner for the Qatar T100. Their support will enhance the experience for athletes, staff, and fans alike, while helping us deliver a first-class, world championship event in a new region. Kia’s brand aligns perfectly with the performance, innovation, and global ambition of the T100 Triathlon."Hossam Abu Shadi, Vice-President – Commercial of Kia Qatar added: "Partnering with the PTO for the Qatar T100 is an exciting opportunity to bring our vehicles into a dynamic, international sporting event."The Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final is the culmination of the T100 Race to Qatar, a season-long global series featuring 100km races; 2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run, across nine iconic locations including Singapore, San Francisco, Vancouver, London, the French Riviera, Spain, Wollongong, and Dubai.The Doha weekend will showcase the season’s professional races, amateur competitions, and community events, including a mass 5km fun run and immersive fan village experiences.By partnering with the PTO, Kia is connecting with a highly engaged, active, and international audience of athletes, multisport enthusiasts, and fans, while demonstrating its commitment to supporting high-performance sport and memorable experiences. Kia vehicles will be an integral part of the event, both on the road and on display, offering fans a chance to engage with the brand in a dynamic, memorable environment.T100 weekends are ‘festivals of multisport’ and feature a range of opportunities for amateur athletes of all levels to get involved. From experienced amateurs tackling the 100km distance to other triathlon distances and first-time swim, bike and run participants taking on single discipline, untimed events.Event highlights in Qatar include the following and a youth triathlon will also be announced in the coming weeks: December 10: Mass 5k/1km fun run for the local community and visiting athletesDecember 11: Event and fan village opens with dining, entertainment, and expo across Lusail PlazaDecember 12: Season-long T100 Race To Qatar series concludes with T100 Professional Races, awarding the 2025 World Championship titleDecember 13: Amateur races including the T100 Age-Group World Championship, open-entry 100km distance, and sprint triathlon 

Lando Norris insisted he was feeling calm and composed ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix where he could win his first drivers’ world championship title. Unperturbed by the double disqualification of himself and McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri in Las Vegas last weekend, the 26-year-old Briton told reporters at the Lusail Circuit he was completely at ease ahead of this weekend’s showdown. “I feel as relaxed now as I was before when I was 35 points behind and I feel the same when I’m 24 points ahead,” Norris said. “For now, that’s my strength. It feels the same to me now as before Mexico when I wasn’t leading and in Austin.” Norris, who needs only to out-score Piastri and defending four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull by two points to win the title this weekend, made light of the pressures of expectation and the Dutchman’s fightback. “We’ve treated him as a threat the whole year even when he was a few more points behind,” he said of Verstappen, who was 104 points behind in the title race at the end of August, but is now level with Piastri – 24 behind Norris. “We treat him as a threat because we know what he’s capable of, we know what Red Bull is capable of – so therefore nothing changes now because he’s still the threat he’s always been through the whole year.” Norris conceded that his disqualification in Las Vegas had hurt, but said he and the team had dealt with it and moved on. “We all felt let down by the result and we were all disappointed, but actually I found it was quite easy to move on and have a few days off – and then come into this weekend,” he explained. Piastri appeared to be equally calm, but made it very clear that as things stood he had no intention of abandoning his own bid for glory in favour of helping his McLaren team-mate. “We’ve had a very brief discussion on it and the answer is no,” the Australian said. “I’m still equal on points with Max and I’ve got a decent shot of still winning it if things go my way. So, yeah, that’s how we’ll play it.” McLaren team chief Andrea Stella explained that the disqualification of both cars, for excessive wear of the skid blocks, was a result of an unexpected level of “porpoising... exacerbated by the conditions” in Nevada. “We knew we were having a lot more issues than we ever expected during the race,” Norris said. “Maybe it would have hurt more if we won the race, but we didn’t so it doesn’t change anything... There’s no point being too sad about it. I’m excited to go again this weekend. It doesn’t change anything. I want to try and win here in Qatar and to win in Abu Dhabi. It sucks, but that’s life sometimes.” 

World Champion Gukesh D and World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen are among more than 360 players who have confirmed their participation in the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in Doha. The event, scheduled from December 25 to 30, brings together a field featuring multiple world champions, many of the sport’s top-rated competitors, and a strong group of rising stars.A total of 233 players have registered for the Blitz Open and 230 for the Rapid. After missing out on the Rapid crown and sharing gold in the Blitz at last year's edition in New York, Carlsen – who also became a father this year – returns to the World Rapid & Blitz looking to reclaim both titles. He will attempt to dethrone the reigning World Rapid champion, Volodar Murzin, who has enjoyed consistently strong results throughout 2024.Gukesh has likewise confirmed his attendance, and his participation is expected to generate significant public interest among large Indian expatriates in Qatar. His outstanding performance in Zagreb earlier in the year has positioned him as one of the leading contenders in the Rapid discipline.**media[384164]**Many seasoned elite players – including 2024 World Blitz co-champion Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So and Levon Aronian – have also confirmed their entry. They will be challenged by a new wave of ambitious talents aiming to shake up the established order, such as Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa R, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, and Ediz Gurel, among others.Qatar’s chess enthusiasts will also be pleased to see legendary figures like Alexander Grischuk and Vasyl Ivanchuk – who won the World Rapid in Doha in 2016 – returning to compete. The Women’s Rapid and Blitz tournaments will likewise feature the world’s best. Headlined by Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun, the competition includes 130 participants, with top names such as Zhu Jiner, Lei Tingjie, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Humpy Koneru. Anna Muzychuk, who won both the Women’s Rapid and Blitz titles in Doha in 2016, will also compete alongside her sister, Mariya.“The lineup shows the immense strength and magnetism of the World Rapid & Blitz,” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said. “We are pleased to see so many strong players in both the Open and the Women’s competition confirming their participation. The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz is traditionally one of the most exciting and most watched chess events of the year, and we expect that tradition to continue. I’d like to thank the local organizing committee for sparing no effort in making it a great event,” he added.“The field is tremendously strong, and it is going to be a real chess feast. Once again, FIDE has managed to gather nearly all the world’s best players, and I am looking forward to great sporting drama, both in my FIDE capacity and as a lifelong chess fan,” said FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky.“Doha is now the only city to host the World Rapid & Blitz Championship twice, a milestone for chess and for sports in Qatar. It reflects our deep passion for the game and our commitment to delivering excellence. We are proud to welcome the world’s greatest players back to Doha, where ambition, tradition and the future of our sport meet,” said Mohammed al-Mudahka, President of the Qatar Chess Federation.The championship will take place at the Sports and Events Complex at Qatar University and offers a prize fund of more than €1mn across both the Open and Women’s competitions. Doha previously hosted the event in 2016, when Ivanchuk won the Rapid title and Karjakin captured the Blitz crown. The event returns to Qatar after nine years, underscoring the country’s growing stature in the global chess community.

Abdullah al-Qahtani won the opening round of the Qatar Free-Style Drifting Championship for the 2025-2026 season held on Friday. After nearly three hours of thrilling action, Al-Qahtani with a total of 44 points edged out Saud al-Marri by just three points, while Ahmad al-Musnad secured the third place, surpassing Ahmad al-Banna by a single point. Rashid al-Banna claimed fifth place. The round was held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, chairman of Qatar Racing Club (QRC) and in the presence of a large crowd that filled the stands. Registration and technical inspection took place on Thursday to check the cars and ensure their readiness for competition. The organizing committee set a number of standards and requirements that all participants had to meet in order to compete in this round — some related to the vehicles, such as the necessity of installing a roll cage, properly securing the car battery, and having a functional seat belt, among other points; and others related to the drivers, focusing on safety elements such as wearing a racing suit, helmet, and using a proper seatbelt, among similar conditions. Before the start of Friday’s competition, a briefing session was held between the drivers and the judging panel, during which several important technical and procedural points were clarified. According to the competition’s structure, each driver was given one chance to enter the track and perform a set of required maneuvers — including drifting, reverse driving, figure-eight spins, and reverse maneuvers — within a total time limit of four minutes. There was also a specific score allocated for the overall style in which each driver performed their routine. At the conclusion of the event, Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, Director General of QRC, crowned the winners. The second round is scheduled to take place on December 26.

Estelle Poret, Oliver Koch Hansen, François Medori and Roberto Mariani clinched UIM-ABP World Aquabike Championship titles in their final Motos at the Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar Saturday afternoon.Poret prevailed in Ski Ladies GP1 for the first time and Koch Hansen took his maiden Ski GP1 title. Medori earned a third world Runabout GP1 title with a stunning Moto 3 win after a shell-shocked series leader Jéremy Perez hit technical trouble om the parade lap and was unable to start the final Moto on time. Italian Roberto Mariani overcame a fierce late challenge from Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al-Mulla to seal the Freestyle crown.Emirati Amer Hawair took the top step of the final Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship podium from Saudi Arabia’s Moto 3-winning Daoud Kaloti and Qatari Mohamed Abumaali.Poret seals maiden Ski Ladies GP1 world title; Moto 3 win for DrangeEstelle Poret headed into her final Moto showdown with Jasmiin Ypraus defending a 15-point lead in the World Championship. Despite winning Moto 2, Benedicte Drange’s fuel pump failure in Moto 1 had ruled her out of challenging for the world title, although she had a 16-point cushion over Naomi Benini in the battle for third.Drange started on pole but Jessica Chavanne claimed the hole shot from Emy Garcia, Drange, Poret, Ypraus and Benini. The current European champion held her lead into lap two and the top six held station with Virginie Morlaes, Sofie Borgström and Janina Johansson running behind. River Varner was a non-starter after trying to change an engine on her ski before the race with support from Tory Snyder’s team.Drange and Poret passed Garcia and Drange began to apply the pressure on the leader, who was under investigation before falling off her bike and tumbling down the field on lap three. Drange continued to pull away from her rivals as the Moto progressed but champion-elect Poret was coming under pressure from title rival Ypraus.Drange held on to take her second win of the weekend by 8.426 seconds and Ypraus passed Poret to take the runner-up spot but the final place on the podium was enough for Poret to earn her first world title. Poret also did enough to take honours in the Grand Prix with Ypraus and Drange finishing second and third in the World Championship.Benini overhauled Garcia to take fourth and Chavanne finished fifth, despite a 40-second penalty for not maintaining her lane. Morlaes, Borgström and Johansson rounded off the finishers after Garcia retired on lap seven of 10.An emotional Poret said: “I don’t know if I have the words. A lot of work went into being here. I am so happy after three years of injury. I want to thank my mechanics for the job they did this season. I also want to thank my brother Jéremy, my parents, my husband. It’s not only me. It’s the people around me that made this happen.”Koch Hansen wins the Ski GP1 world title: Bossche takes Moto 3 victoryA vital podium finish in Moto 2 enabled Oliver Koch Hansen to start the final Ski GP1 heat with an 18-point lead over Jéremy Poret in his quest for a maiden title. Japanese rider Toshi O’Hara had already confirmed the bronze medal position with the runner-up spot in Moto 2 and had a slim chance of finishing second.Garcia’s late problems in the Ski Ladies GP1 Moto prevented Benjamin Scharff from taking the original start of the last Moto on their shared ski. The first start was red-flagged in any case after O’Hara, Reiterer and Koch Hansen had made strong getaways. Riders returned to the start pontoon to try again. Ander-Hubert Lauri was a non-starter.Reiterer stormed through to take the hole shot from Koch Hansen, Valentin Dardillat, O’Hara and Scharff. Outgoing World Champion Quinten Bossche started at the rear of the field and was up to 11th through the opening lap. Reiterer continued to hold off Koch Hansen, Jéremy Poret passed Scharff and a flying Bossche was up to seventh behind Scharff.Bossche overhauled Scharff to take sixth and set his sights on the top five with Reiterer leading from Koch Hansen, Dardillat, O’Hara and Poret. The Belgian bomber thae overtook Poret to snatch fifth but, as it stood, Koch Hansen was world champion and Reiterer was on course for Grand Prix success.In treacherous conditions with big rollers, Bossche turned up the heat and was able to capitalise on a O’Hara mistake to grab fourth with Poret also passing the Japanese. There was no stopping Bossche and he overtook Dardillat and moved into the podium places behind Reiterer and Koch Hansen.With six minutes left, Bossche trailed the leader by 12.335 seconds and he passed Koch Hansen. The Bossche juggernaut proved too much for Reiterer as well and he earned his second win of the weekend to make it five wins from eight starts with three retirements this year. Second place was enough for Reiterer to seal overall Grand Prix success and third earned Koch Hansen a first world title.Dardillat and Poret finished fourth and fifth and Scharff, O’Hara, Yoni Hamelin, Matteo Benini and Anthony Beernaut rounded off the top 10. Dardillat was later awarded a one-lap penalty for missing a buoy and that lifted Poret, Scharff, O’Hara and Hamelin into fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth with Beernaut and Morgan Poret rounding off the final top 10. O’Hara was confirmed as third in both the World Championship and the Grand Prix.An ecstatic Koch Hansen said: “It feels amazing. I had a good start. I knew the others would go all-in. They had nothing to risk and I had a lot to risk. I wanted to be stable and try and keep my position. Everything worked out this weekend. It was an incredible race. Quinten was battling for the win but it was more important for me to win overall. Since I was 12-years-old, I worked towards this and I am now 22. It has taken me 10 years to get to this moment. I am so happy.”Grand Prix winner Reiterer added: “This weekend as a team was really tough. We had boat issues the whole time. We kept improving in each Moto. It paid off in the end. Coming out with the win is phenomenal!”Rampant Medori takes third Runabout GP1 title with sensational Moto 3 win; GP win for Qatar’s al-SharshaniJéremy Perez’s hard-earned Moto 2 victory in Runabout GP1 enabled the Frenchman to take the start of the final heat on pole position ahead of his friend and title rival François Medori. A crankshaft failure had cost the Corsican dearly on Friday afternoon and he trailed by nine points heading into the showdown. The battle for third place was wide open with György Kasza leading the way from Pierre-François Savelli, Linus Lindberg and Andrzej Wisniewski.But disaster struck Perez on the parade lap when his Easy Rider ski stopped and the distraught Frenchman was not able to take the start. Medori needed to pick up just nine points to be World Champion for the third time, although he started at the back of the field. Perez had to suffer the ignominy of watching the Moto unfold from the shoreline before starting the race a lap behind the rest of the field. His only consolation was being safe in second place in the World Championship.Kasza took the hole shot from Qatar’s Waleed al-Sharshani, Savelli, Yousef al-Abdulrazzaq and Tory Snyder. Medori was already up to ninth and then climbed to sixth heading into lap two. Egidijus Kirilevicius, Robin Laforge and Ahmad Al-Khadhari were non-starters. The leading Hungarian continued to pull clear of the pursuing Qatari and al-Abdulrazzaq made his way into third. Perez joined the race at the rear of the field in 20th place.With Perez running at the rear of the field that put a different perspective on the entire race for Medori. He remained in fourth through lap four and Perez climbed to 19th. Medori made it into third on the next lap at the expense of Al-Abdulrazzaq: the Kuwaiti ground to a halt on the course and that lifted Perez into 18th.Medori began to apply the pressure on Al-Sharshani with Kasza retaining the lead that would give him Grand Prix success. Medori made it past the Qatari to claim second and he maintained his pace over the closing laps to confirm the world title with a stunning late heat victory by 4.082 seconds. Kasza finished third behind overall Grand Prix winner al-Sharshani and the Hungarian was also third in the final World Championship standings and second in the GP.Savelli, Lindberg and Ruben Jimenez Riquelme finished fourth, fifth and sixth and Lino Araújo, Khalid Al-Maazmi, Guillaume Hemain and Jean-Baptiste Baldassari rounded off the top 10 after Qatar’s Khaled Jamal Al-Mohannadi lost a potential sixth place late on. Savelli also earned third place in the Grand Prix. Perez limped home in 15th.Medori said: “I came here 16 points in front of Jéremy and Saturday we broke the engine. There was maybe one chance in one million to win. I decided to push my maximum and I tried to take this chance. We always need to be positive. I start from last position and I win the Moto. My team did an incredible job. I am really happy with this title. It was really hard to start at the back. I passed a lot of riders. I win the Endurance and the European Championship. It has been a fantastic season.”Freestyle world title for Mariani; al-Mulla wins the Grand PrixTeam Abu Dhabi’s Rashid al-Mulla had reduced Roberto Mariani’s Freestyle lead to just seven points with his dominant display in the first Moto on Friday evening. Massimo Accumolo was assured of the bronze medal and could still catch both his main rivals in the second Moto that rounded off Qatar’s return to the championship.Kuwait’s Aziz al-Armeli took the early lead in the Freestyle Moto with a 136-point haul from the judges before Qatar’s Bader al-Nama earned 90 points to slip into second before being displaced by David Dzhologua (119 points). Abdulrahman al-Sulaiti scored 120 points and then Frenchman Steven Royer hit the front in fading light with a varied programme that gave him 163 points and the chance of a Moto podium.Accumolo started his programme after a short break in proceedings for the evening prayer time and the Italian scored 208 points. That paved the way for Bader al-Abdullah, Mariani and al-Mulla to draw the curtain on the weekend’s return to Qatar. The Qatari finished fourth in the Moto with 185 pointsMariani confirmed the world title with on-water activities that netted him 223 points and al-Mulla did enough to earn 251 points and take the Grand Prix win with a double back flip to finish his stunning session.Hawair wins Asian Runabout GP2 title; Moto 3 win for KalotiEmirati Amer Hawair headed into the last of the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Motos with a 10-point cushion over fellow countryman Khalid al-Maazmi and an advantage of 12 points over a tying Daoud Kaloti and Mahmoud Abumaali.Hawair claimed the hole shot and stayed clear of Kaloti, al-Maazmi and Mohamed Abumaali through the opening twists and turns with Mahmoud Abumaali running in fifth. Khalaf al-Kuwari was a non-starter.Al-Maazmi grabbed the lead on the second lap but the Emirati was under investigation from race officials as Hawair settled into second ahead of Kaloti.The racers held their positions into lap five and al-Maazmi held on to take the chequered flag ahead of Kaloti, Mohamed Mahmoud Abumaali, Hawair and Mahmoud Abumaali. Fourth place was sufficient for Hawair to win the inaugural Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship title but he was later promoted to third when al-Maazmi received a 40-second penalty for a start infringement and Kaloti claimed the Moto win by 19.783 seconds from Mohamed Abumaali.

The second of the Ski Ladies GP1, Ski Division GP1 and Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship Motos and the first of the Runabout GP1 Motos for the Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar were held in punishing heat Friday afternoon. A flying Benedicte Drange stormed through the Ski Ladies GP1 field to snatch a vital victory in the second of the Motos. But second-placed Estelle Poret heads into the final heat Saturday with a 15-point lead in the World Championship over defending champion Jasmiin Ypraus. Drange said: “In Moto 1, I had the lead and then my fuel pump broke. I was full speed on the stretch and it broke. I did not finish and it was a heartbreak because I was going for a title. I thought to myself, I will start as nine or 10 in Moto 2 and the championship is not on the line anymore. I needed to bring back my joy of racing. When I had a championship, it was too much pressure. I don’t enjoy it. I went out had fun, did the best I could and had a brilliant start. I swept past half the field and passed Jasmiin on the first lap. Then I took Estelle and Jessica (Chavanne). It was probably the best race I have done in my career. I am super happy and dedicate this victory to my team and my mechanics.” Veteran Kevin Reiterer stormed through to earn Moto 2 success in Ski GP1 after pole-sitter and Moto 1 winner Quinten Bossche shut down on the opening lap and was later disqualified for a course infringement. Third place for Denmark’s Oliver Koch Hansen gave him an 18-point lead over Jéremy Poret to take into the final Mototoday. Reiterer said: “This morning I thought it was going to be easier than Friday but it was up and down like crazy. We had rollers coming in from boats that we weren’t expecting on the straights. We were just taking off. It was really rough, one of the roughest and hardest Motos I have ever done. I got off to an okay start and then Quinten’s boat shut off and he fell back. I tried to pace myself, save some energy and put in some good laps if there was a fight later. Five to seven seconds was a good gap so that you don’t have to worry in the splits.” François Medori headed into the opening Runabout GP1 Moto with a 16-point World Championship advantage over Jeremy Perez but engine issues sidelined the Corsican after he had passed Yousef al-Abdulrazzaq to take the Moto lead. The Kuwaiti regained the advantage to win the Moto only to lose out to Perez near the finish. The Frenchman now takes a nine-point lead over Medori into the final Moto. Triumphant Perez said: “I feel really good. It was a really difficult race. I push and push and György passed me and I passed him again on the last corner. I am happy to win. François was faster than me but we will see. The strategy now will be to get a good start in Moto 2 and try to push and not to lose places. I know that I need to finish four or five so I will manage my race.” Emirati Amer Hawair clinched a lights-to flag second victory in the Runabout GP2 category to put him in a strong position to seal the title at the final race Saturday. Drange flies to Ski Ladies GP1 Moto 2 successMoto 1 winner Estelle Poret knew that a top finish would put her in a superb position to claim the world title on Saturday. She lined up on pole ahead of Naomi Benini, Jasmiin Ypraus, Jessica Chavanne, River Varner and Virginie Morlaes. The cruel engine problem in Moto 1 had pushed title contender Benedicte Drange to the rear of the 10-boat field. Chavanne stormed through to get the hole shot and took the outside split ahead of Poret, Varner, Drange, Ypraus, Benini, Morlaes, Sofie Borgström, Emy Garcia and Janina Johansson. Chavanne maintained her lead through the opening lap but Drange managed to pass Poret and take second position, although, as long as Poret finished the two remaining Motos, Drange was helpless in her quest for the title. Drange then overhauled Chavanne on the second lap and began to edge clear, as Varner managed to overhaul a subdued Ypraus to take fifth. Garcia climbed to seventh at the expense of a struggling Morlaes. Ypraus regained fifth and Garcia moved into sixth with Varner dropping back to seventh heading into lap four. Drange held on to nail the Moto win by 2.398 seconds and picked up 25 invaluable championship points. Poret passed Chavanne to finish second and a resurgent Ypraus snatched third from Chavanne to finish ahead of Benini, Garcia, Varner, Morlaes and Borgström. Varner then incurred a two-lap penalty for course cutting and Benini was docked 40 seconds for lane indiscipline. Benini finished fifth ahead of Morlaes, Borgström and Varner. Moto 2 success in Ski GP1 for Reiterer World champion Quinten Bossche had controlled Moto 1 in the morning and his rewards was pole for Moto 2. He lined up omn the start pontoon ahead of championship leader Oliver Koch Hansen, Jéremy Poret, Kevin Reiterer, Toshi O’Hara, Valentin Dardillat, Morgan Poret, Anthony Beernaut, Alex Barret and Matteo Benini. Poret snatched the hole shot from Reiterer, O’Hara, Koch Hansen and Beernaut after Bossche took a tumble and lost valuable ground on his rivals. He found himself down in 17th of the 19th riders and was faced with another fight back from the rest of the field. Morgan Poret was a non-starter. Reiterer then snatched the lead from Poret and O’Hara but Bossche made another mistake and lost all his momentum. By lap three, Reiterer led from O’Hara, Poret, Koch Hansen and young Yoni Hamelin. Bossche was disqualified for rising in the wrong direction to cap another disastrous Moto for the current champion. Reiterer held on to take the victory by 14.999 seconds from O’Hara and Koch Hansen, who closed in on the world title with 20 precious championship points. His closest title rival Jéremy Poret eventually finished sixth behind Dardillat and the impressive Benjamin Scharff. Beernaut, Matteo Benini, Alex Barret and Ander-Hubert Lauri rounded off the top 10. Perez takes opening Runabout GP1 Moto win after Medori and al-Abdulrazzaq retire Only six of the 23 Runabout GP1 entrants had turned out for the morning’s second free practice with the remaining riders persevering their skis for the opening Moto. Multiple former champion Yousef al-Abdulrazzaq lined up on pole position ahead of series leader François Medori, Jéremy Perez, György Kasza and the high-flying Khalifa Belselah. The Kuwaiti earned the hole shot to stay ahead of Medori, Belselah, Perez, Kasza, Andrzej Wisniewski and Ruben Jimenez Riquelme. Egidijus Kirilevicius and Robin Laforge were non-starters. Al-Abdulrazzaq continued to fend off Medori and actually increased his advantage to over three seconds heading into lap three. Medori was also watchful of his title push. With 15 minutes of the race to run, al-Abdulrazzaq led Medori by just over two seconds with Belselah, Kasza and Perez in the top five. Kasza and Perez then passed the Emirati, who plummeted out of contention and retired on lap five. Linus Lindberg climbed to fifth ahead of Qatar’s Waleed al-Sharshani and Wisniewski with 11 minutes on the clock. Medori snatched the lead on lap eight bur then the Frenchman stuttered to a halt with engine issues and al-Abdulrazzaq regained the lead. The Corsican’s demise threw the title race wide open with Kasza and new virtual championship leader Perez in third. Second successive Asian Runabout GP2 victory for Amer Hawair Emirati Amer Hawair took full advantage of pole position for winning Moto 1. He claimed the hole shot from Qatar’s Mahmoud and Mohamed Abumaali with Saudi Arabia’s Daoud Kaloti holding fourth ahead of Khalaf al-Kuwari and Khalid al-Maazmi at the start of the second Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Moto. Hawair began to pull clear of his rivals and was over six seconds to the good through lap two with the pursuing quintet holding their positions. Kaloti managed to pass Mohamed Abumaali and snatch third place, as Mahmoud Abumaali began to apply the pressure on the leading Emirati. Kaloti managed to pass Mahmoud Abumaali in the closing minutes as well to seal second place, albeit 3.837 seconds behind the triumphant Emirati. Mahmoud Abumaali rounded off the podium positions from al-Maazmi, al-Kuwari and Mohamed Abumaali.

Equipment is in place, registration and scrutineering is over and the world’s finest aquabike riders are now making their final preparations for the start of the Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar Wednesday morning.The new venue is hosting the finale to this year’s UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship under the auspices of the UIM and the guiding hands of Aquabike Promotion and the Doha Marine Sports Club (DMSC).**media[374833]**Riders and team personnel busied themselves with fine tuning their skis after the recent round of the series at Olbia in Sardinia. Ten years ago, the last Qatar race was held in Doha Bay along the Corniche adjacent to the iconic Sheraton Hotel. On this occasion, the Old Port area around the Corniche will host the weekend’s action.Quinten Bossche is the defending Ski Division GP1 World Champion and is making his first appearance in Qatar with the Grand Prix returning after that 10-year absence. He has three Moto wins and three retirements so far this season and is arguably one of the fastest racers on the UIM-ABP tour.**media[374832]**The Ostende-based Belgian said: “I have lost too many points in the championship to do something so I just need to do some good results. With some good luck, I could maybe still finish third. When you come here, especially as the World Champion, you come here for a victory. I try and do my best, set the boat up and finish all the races this time and go for the victory in the GP.“Personally, I would have loved to see the course on the other side (Doha Bay). I like the waves. I think, as a pro ski racer, that is what you like to battle against the weather. For me, that’s a big thing. I love waves and all of the challenge. It puts everybody back at zero. It’s pure skill and the ski doesn’t make a difference any more. I do think with the walls and the fact we have 23 riders (Ski GP1), it’s still going to be a rough race. Everyone has the same issues with the heat. Just stay hydrated and rest.”**media[374834]**Jessica Chavanne is the defending European champion and a former World Champion. Boat damage in Sardinia has now ruled her out of overall title contention but the French girl is looking forward to her first ever race weekend in Qatar. Speaking before a brief ski shakedown on Wednesday afternoon, she said: “I think it will be a good race. I had a delamination on the side of the ski in Sardinia and my hull was under the water. The marshals saved my ski and I had a big shock. That’s why I feel a bit sick. I am really grateful that I had nothing else (injury).“The first goal is to take pleasure. In Indonesia, I had the covid, in Olbia the problem with the hull and now I want to give everything I can and after that we will see. We will make a set-up for me to be more comfortable.”Thursday timetable sees the free practice sessions for the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship fire into life from 09.30hrs and precede nearly two hours of practice for the Ski Ladies GP1, Ski Division GP1, Runabout GP1 and Freestyle competitors.Thursday afternoon will be dominated by the various qualifying and pole position sessions.

Temba Bavuma was Monday named as captain of South Africa’s squad for two World Test Championship matches in India next month having recovered from injury. Bavuma, who led South Africa to victory in the championship final against Australia in London in June, missed the country’s recent series in Pakistan because he was having treatment for a calf strain. South Africa were captained by Aiden Markram when they started their defence of their title by sharing the two-match series in Pakistan. Bavuma has captained South Africa in ten Tests, winning nine and drawing one. The squad announced by Cricket South Africa includes the bulk of the players who were in Pakistan. Off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen missed out despite playing in the first Test in the absence of Keshav Maharaj, who was recovering from injury. Durham batsman David Bedingham, who toured Pakistan but did not play in the Tests, made way for Bavuma. The 15-man squad includes three front-line spinners in Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy, who took a combined 33 wickets in Pakistan. Coach Shukri Conrad said the players had shown “real character” in sharing the honours in Pakistan after losing the first Test. South Africa lost the toss in both matches and had to bat second in spin-friendly conditions. “We are expecting a similar challenge in India and many of the players who stood up for us in those conditions will again be key for us,” said Conrad. “Pakistan was a squad effort and India will demand the same. Every player has a role to play in ensuring we remain competitive in what is always a tough place to tour.” Squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wkt) Fixtures: November 14-18, Kolkata November 22-26, Guwahati

Qatar returns to the 2025 sporting calendar after a 10-year absence to host the final round of the UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship this weekend (October 30-November 1).Aquabike Promotion and the Doha Marine Sports Club (DMSC) will host the three-day Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar on Doha Bay. The event will act as the final round of the World Championship and the stand-alone Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship.The provisional entry features 90 riders from 19 nations, with 28 competing in Runabout GP1, 23 in Ski Division GP1, 13 in Ski Ladies GP1 and a staggering 12 in Freestyle. In addition, 14 will compete in the Asian Continental section of the weekend.Francois Medori heads to Doha with a maximum 100 points for winning four successive Runabout GP1 Motos. The Corsican will be aiming to defend a 16-point advantage over Jeremy Perez, with current World Champion Samuel Johansson somehow retaining third in the rankings, despite picking up just three points from the second of the recent heats in Sardinia.All the major protagonists are among the 28-rider field and they include Pierre-Francois Savelli, Robin Laforge, Gyorgy Kasza, Andrzej Wisniewski, Martin Doulik and Linus Lindberg.The host nation will be represented by Khalid al-Mohannadi and Waleed al-Sharshani and the Emirati trio of Khalid al-Maazmi, Khalifa Belsalah and Mohammed Mohsin boost the regional entry.The Qatar event also sees the dramatic return of five-time World Champion Yousef al-Abdulrazzaq and fellow Kuwaiti riders, Rashed al-Dawas and Ahmad al-Khadhari.Dane Oliver Koch Hansen arrives in Doha with an 11-point lead over Jeremy Poret in the battle for the Ski Division GP1 world title. The leading racers on the planet battled it out in three gripping Motos in Sardinia two weeks ago with a pair of victories for Belgian Quinten Bossche sandwiching a lone win for Mickael Poret.Reliability issues have plagued defending champion Bossche this season, however, and three Moto wins have been coupled with three non-finishes. That was left the Ostende racer languishing in sixth in the standings behind Koch Hansen, Jeremy Poret, Japan’s Toshi O’Hara, Mickael Poret and young Belgian Yoni Hamelin.All of the title contenders will be present in Doha where they line up against the likes of former champion Kevin Reiterer, Anthony Beernaut, Morgan Poret, Benjamin Scharff and Axel Courtois.Nizar Abuljadayel represents the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is the only GCC entrant in the field.The fight for honours in Ski Ladies GP1 promises to be a classic and 13 riders are making the trip to Qatar for the three-Moto finale. Estelle Poret has a seven-point cushion over Benedicte Drange with defending champion Jasmiin Ypraus a further point adrift in third. Naomi Benini and Virginie Morlaes are tied for fourth, albeit 35 points behind the leading French girl.Drange has taken four wins from six Motos but suffering a costly retirement from the third Moto in Indonesia. Poret has never been off the podium and won one heat, while Ypraus had a win and four podium finishes before engine issues plagued her before the last of the Motos in Sardinia.The Estonian’s number one ski failed to start and she was forced to turn to her back-up machine which misfired its way around the course to pick up just 10 points. Could that have been the moment when Ypraus lost the world title?Jessica Chavanne suffered a miserable weekend in Sardinia and the new European champion will be hoping for better fortune on Doha Bay, where she lines up alongside the likes of Sofie and Jonna Borgstrom, Heloise Delcluze, River Varner, Joana Graça, Janina Johansson and French newcomer Emy Garcia.The Freestyle category has attracted a staggering 12 entrants, although the defending European champion and current World Championship leader Roberto Mariani tops the field from defending champion and title rival Rashid al-Mulla from Abu Dhabi. The pair are separated by 10 points heading into the final two Motos of the season with Massimo Accumolo three points further behind in the bronze medal position. Portugal’s Paulo Nunes is fourth.There are six Qatari entrants in the provisional field: Abdulaziz al-Abdullah, Nayef al-Nama, Salem al-Kubaisi, Issa al-Assi, Abdulrahman al-Sulaiti and Bader al-Abdullah will be hoping for success in front of home crowds. They will be joined by Kuwait’s Aziz al-Armeli and Saudi Arabia’s Nizar Abuljadayel.Four of the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship entrants will represent Qatar, with five from the UAE, four from Saudi Arabia and one from Kuwait. Mahmoud Abumaali, Khalaf al-Kuwari, Waleed al-Ibrahim and Waleed al-Sharshani will fly the Qatari flag with Abdullah al-Fadhel lining up for Kuwait.Registration and scrutineering formalities take place Wednesday. A hectic Thursday timetable sees the free practice sessions for the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship fire into life from 9:30 am and precede nearly two hours of practice for the Ski Ladies GP1, Ski Division GP1, Runabout GP1 and Freestyle competitors.The afternoon is dominated by the various qualifying and pole position sessions.The first Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship Moto kickstarts Friday’s action from 10am and is followed by opening Motos for Ski Ladies GP1 and Ski Division GP1. The second of the Motos follow in the afternoon before the Runabout GP1 and Freestyle contenders take part in their first heats.The evening’s action will be rounded off by a Parallel Slalom competition and a Freestyle night show to entertain spectators in the Old Port area on Doha Corniche.Qualifying for the Qatar International Cup and a session for non-qualified Runabout GP2 riders opens Saturday morning’s action. Further free practice follows before a Moto for the Qatar International Cup to round off the morning.The third Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship Moto is first on the agenda in the afternoon and precedes the final Ski Ladies GP1 and Ski GP1 Motos that will decide the outcome of the World Championship.Runabout GP1 and Freestyle contenders then take to the water for their second Motos that will draw a curtain on the season’s UIM-ABP Aquabike Circuit Pro World Championship.