tag

Mohammed al-Asaker stole the spotlight in the fifth round of the ninth edition of the Qatar Equestrian Tour – Longines Hathab – clinching the Golden Tour title with a commanding performance at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arenaRiding Skoblinski, al-Asaker delivered a superb round to finish in 56.07 seconds, ahead of Ibrahim Yousef al-Mahmoud on Costa (57.69 seconds) and Khaled al-Eid on Raker (59.57 seconds). In the Golden Tour Team event, Wathnan emerged victorious with a combined time of 120.62 seconds, narrowly edging Ajwad (120.93 seconds), while Al Fardan settled for third (121.68 seconds).Earlier in the day, the Open Tour (110 cm) produced thrilling performances, with Khaled Al Hadi taking first place after clocking 30.51 seconds on Doremi. Mohammed al-Dhalaan came in second on Sarina (30.67 seconds), followed by Saif Mohammed al-Nuaimi on Sydney (31.08 seconds).In the junior category, Khalid Jassim al-Suwaidi secured top spot on Du Guinette (31.23 seconds), ahead of Ali Omar al-Ansari on Nikita (33.07 seconds) and Sherida Nasser al-Kaabi on Extra Pam (33.31 seconds).The competition also featured the Future Riders Tour (70 cm), where Mashael Mohammed al-Thani excelled to claim first place on Malaga with a time of 50.07 seconds, just 0.07 seconds off the ideal time. Nasser Hamad al-Thani took second on Coco Chanel (49.59 seconds, 0.41 seconds off), while Hessa Ali al-Jaber finished third on Violet (50.68 seconds, 0.68 seconds off).

The Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) has returned to Rabat, upholding the cultural and diplomatic bond forged between Qatar and Morocco during the successful 2024 Year of Culture (YoC) initiative. In a statement, Qatar’s ambassador to Morocco HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Thamer al-Thani said: “The Years of Culture initiative was never about a single moment, but about creating exchanges that continue to live on.” “Seeing that spirit carried forward through the Longines Global Champions Tour reminds us how sport can keep cultural connections alive long after the official celebrations end,” he said. Jan Tops, founder and president of the Longines Global Champions Tour, said: “What began as a collaboration under the Qatar-Morocco Year of Culture has grown into an enduring connection, reminding us that horses have long been a bridge between people, traditions, and continents.” This year’s event marked the 15th leg of the 2025 Tour, held just before the Riyadh finale. The world’s top 30 riders competed in one of the most striking venues on the circuit, framed by the Hassan Tower, the Rabat Grand Theatre, and the Mohammed VI Tower, landmarks that embody the city’s harmony between tradition and modernity.

Justin Leonard delivered an electrifying finish to open the PGA Tour Champions postseason.The 53-year-old rolled in an eagle on the par-5 18th at The Country Club of Virginia on Sunday, capping a 4-under-par 68 to win the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at 12 under. Leonard edged South Africa's Ernie Els and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark by one stroke, securing his second victory of the season to go with February's Chubb Classic win."I've been on this nice run here the last three or four months and I've had some chances to win and played some pretty good golf," Leonard said after the win. "Maybe not my best golf through it, but today was really special on a really special golf course."Leonard's closing heroics flipped a leaderboard long controlled by Els. The Hall of Famer began the day in front and was still tied for the lead late before a bogey at the par-4 17th dropped him to 11 under. Needing birdie on 18 to force a playoff, Els' putt stayed on the high side of the cup, leaving Leonard's eagle as the tournament winner. Els signed for an even-par 72 and Bjorn matched Leonard's 4-under 68 to share runner-up honors."I feel for Ernie," Leonard said. "Golly, he's played so good. It feels like he could have won 12 tournaments this year. Fortunately, today was just my day."After going bogey-free in each of the first two rounds, Els had three bogeys and three birdies in Sunday's final round. He said that he found the wind difficult, admitting it played a big part in his finish to the round."Yeah, I played good. It was very tough conditions today," Els said. "Got totally screwed on 17 and 18, that was the breaks I got. Hey, listen, we played good and came up short again, so disappointing. Got to keep going."The win vaults Leonard up eight spots to ninth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings as the three-event playoffs move to the Simmons Bank Championship in Little Rock, Ark. Only the top 54 in the standings advanced on Sunday. Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain and Stewart Cink remain in the top two spots in the standings, while Els jumped up a spot to third with his performance.Scott Parel snuck in with a tie for 21st place, bumping David Bransdon out of the postseason. After next week, the field will be trimmed again, down to 36, for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix.

Mohammed Saeed Haidan clinched victory in the 140cm Gold Round of the fourth leg of the ninth edition of the Qatar Equestrian Tour – Longines Hathab – held at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arena. The event is organised by the Qatar Equestrian Federation in partnership with Al Shaqab, a member of Qatar Foundation. Riding Quick Bell, Haidan clocked a winning time of 35.65 seconds. Khaled al-Hadi finished second in 38.31 seconds on Capion, while Ghanem Nasser al-Qadi came third in 38.49 seconds on Assis.In the team competition of the same round, Al Fardan Team secured first place with a combined time of 78.32 seconds. Lekhwiya Team followed in second (79.31 seconds), and Al Shaqab Team finished third (82.77 seconds).In the Open Round, Khaled al-Hadi claimed first place with a time of 44.59 seconds on Carlton, ahead of Yaqoub Nasser al-Mas on Equinox (44.64 seconds) and Sheikha Fatima bint Jabor al-Thani on Eddie (45.81 seconds).In the Junior category, Abdulaziz bin Jassim al-Thani topped the standings with a time of 46.53 seconds on Gabbana. Khalid Jassim al-Suwaidi came second on De Genette (56.52 seconds), while Hadi Mansour al-Shahwani finished third on Brouq (60 seconds).In the Future Riders Tour (0.70m), Mishaal Mohammed al-Thani triumphed on Malaga with a time of 52.8 seconds, just 0.08 seconds off the ideal mark. Salman Faisal al-Marri placed second on Kingstar (50.92 seconds), followed by Manar Rashid al-Shahwani on Coco Chanel (49.96 seconds).

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.”

Khaled al-Eid, Manar Rashid al-Shahwani and Yaqoub Nasser Al Mass were among the standout winners on the second day of the third round of the Qatar Equestrian Tour – Longines Hathab staged at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s indoor arena. Saudi rider al-Eid triumphed in the Golden Tour (140cm) with Racker, edging Bader al-Fard on Levigon and Qatar’s Hamad Nasser al-Qadi on Edison. The Open Class (110cm) was won by al-Mass aboard Pontendro, with Mohammed Dhafi al-Ardi second on Destiny and Chun Yuen Ammy Xiao third with Carton. In the junior category, Chun Yuen secured top spot riding Carton, ahead of Sharida Nasser al-Kaabi on Extra Bam and Tamim bin Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani on Just In Time. In the Future Riders (70cm) class, al-Shahwani clinched first place with Frederikshof, followed by Eva al-Jarmakani on Korapaun and Alia Ahmed al-Khater on Zoro.

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.

World No.26 Aira Azman celebrated her 21st birthday by reaching the quarter-finals of a Platinum-level PSA Squash Tour event for the first time, beating Egypt’s Zeina Mickawy to join fellow Malaysian Sivasangari Subramaniam in the last eight of the QTerminals Qatar Classic.There was delight for the home fans when Abdulla al-Tamimi beat compatriot Ali al-Darwish in straight sets. Al-Tamimi won 11-4, 11-7, 11-3 in 24 minutes. In the next round, al-Tamimi will face Frenchman Sebastien Bonmalais who beat Egypt's Aly Abou Eleinen 11-7, 2-0 ret. (12m)It will be the first time since the 2015 British Open that two Malaysian women have reached the quarter-finals of a major PSA tournament at the same time, with eight-time World Champion Nicol David and former World No.12 Delia Arnold achieving that feat a decade ago.Azman beat Mickawy 11-8, 11-7, 13-11 to set up a quarter-final match with World No.5 Amina Orfi, while Sivasangari overcame Belgium’s Nele Gilis in a clinical straight-games win.“It’s my first time playing this tournament and first time in a Platinum quarter, so they are big [ranking] points for me, which has boosted my confidence,” said Azman afterwards.“Today is my birthday too, so I’m very happy to reach the quarter-finals. I was really into my game plan in the first two games, I was sharp, I lost a bit of focus and she came back. But I managed to get back on top to win in three.“I will celebrate with my sister [Aifa], but she has a match tomorrow, so I hope she wins that. Amina was really sharp today, I’ve played her at the World Juniors two years ago, but there is no pressure on me, she’s the World No.5.”2023 champion Hania El Hammamy continued her title challenge with a 3-1 victory over England No.2 Jasmine Hutton. El Hammamy conceded the first game after Hutton stormed out of the traps in an attacking start, but El Hammamy weathered the storm to take three unanswered games. El Hammamy will play Sivasangari next.“It’s always tough playing against Jasmine, and it always goes to four,” said El Hammamy afterwards.“I know how dangerous she is, she’s very talented and she has good hands. On this court specifically, it was always going to be tough. The ball dies so quickly in the front and it takes a good, accurate length. She was better in the first game, her accuracy was higher than mine, so I tried to level up my accuracy and be more up to it, and I think that was the difference in the end.”World No.15 Fares Dessouky has reached the last eight after coming out on top in a five-game battle against India’s Abhay Singh, coming back from 2-1 down to win 11-13, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3.It’s the first time in over three years that Dessouky has reached back-to-back quarter-finals at major PSA events, having also reached the last eight at the CIB Egyptian Open earlier this month. He will play fellow Egyptian Youssef Ibrahim for a place in the semi-finals.“It was a very tough match and I had to dig in every game,” said Dessouky.“I put two balls in the tin [at the end of the first game], so it was difficult mentally to back up and get the second game. I’m proud I did that and kept pushing. I thought about the mistakes I was making in the early stages and cut down the errors, which worked.”World No.1 Mostafa Asal booked his spot in the quarter-finals after a straightforward win over Frenchman Gregoire Marche. Asal, who reached the final last year and won the CIB Egyptian Open earlier this month alongside El Hammamy, will play fellow Egyptian Youssef Soliman next.“He’s 35 years of age and he’s a legend,” said Asal.“He’s a warrior, a fighter, and he gives 100 percent inside the court to entertain us. I’ve been watching him since he was very young and he’s played his 500th match this tournament, which is absolutely superb. It was a tough match, but I adapted to the court and atmosphere.”

Saudi rider Khalid al-Eid stole the spotlight in the Diamond Tour of the second round of the Longines Hathab – Qatar Equestrian Tour, securing both first and third places yesterday at QEF’s indoor arena.Al-Eid clocked 61.04 seconds on Q-Layen to win the title and added third place on Rakker DMC in 63.01 seconds. Brazil's Santiago Lambre took runner-up spot in 58 seconds on DB GI Diakitos in a field of just three riders.The Silver Tour delivered thrilling competition as Saeed Hamad Juma clinched victory in 26.49 seconds on Diesel. Hamad Nasser al-Qadi finished second in 26.93 seconds on Deep Water, while Salman Mohammed al-Emadi took third in 27.77 seconds on Toblerone.In the Future Riders class at 90cm, Fahad Talal al-Naimi emerged on top with a time of 54.14 seconds, riding Kroaat Van Orchid’s, just 0.14 seconds off the ideal time. Greek rider Melina Karagiannidi came second in 56.28 seconds on Tullibards Simply Cool, while Khalifa bin Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani secured third place in 56.31 seconds on Zion II VDK.Championship Director Abdullah Al-Marri hailed the strong performances across the opening two rounds, noting the intensity and competitiveness in both show jumping and dressage. He underlined that the consistency shown by riders reflects their commitment and preparation, setting the stage for the upcoming competitions on the QEF calendar.Al-Marri expressed optimism about the future of Qatari equestrian sport, stressing the importance of continued hard work ahead of regional and international challenges. He voiced confidence that Qatari riders will represent Al-Adam with pride and achieve results that mirror the country’s equestrian development.The ninth edition of the prestigious series is organised by the Qatar Equestrian Federation in partnership with Al Shaqab, a member of Qatar Foundation.

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.