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The Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) is set to host a series of National Team Shoot Outs at Lusail International Circuit in October and November 2025, designed to select the most promising Qatari drivers across GT, Formula 4 and Karting. These initiatives mark an important step in QMMF’s commitment to building a structured pathway for homegrown drivers to progress into international competition.The Qatar Motorsport Academy (QMA), recognised as a center of excellence for developing Qatari drivers, will play a key role in this effort by equipping talent with the resources, expertise and exposure needed to advance toward professional racing careers.The first event, the GT Drivers Shoot Out, will take place from October 4–6, 2025, with the aim of selecting a maximum of three drivers to join the QMMF GT program. The competition will be staged on Lusail International Circuit’s Grand Prix layout, using the QMMF 991 Cup car. Renowned Qatari driver Abdulla Al Khelaifi will serve as reference driver and coach for the drivers being assessed.Invited Drivers – GT Shoot OutParticipation is by invitation only, with drivers selected based on their racing records and achievements. The following seven Qatari drivers are confirmed: Faesal Al Yafey (Yaris Cup Winner), Khalid Al Maraghi (Yaris Cup Winner), Ahmad Al Emadi (Front Runner, Spa 12 Hours & Gulf 12 Hours), Taha Hassiba (F4 Middle East 2025), Ali Emadadhi (2nd Overall, QTCC Championship 2024), Ahmed Alasiri (3rd Overall, QTCC Championship 2024) and Jassim Al Thani (GT Drivers Gulf 12 Hours and Dubai 24 Hours).Participants will be evaluated across multiple dimensions, ensuring a holistic approach to talent identification. Factors include motorsport experience and achievements, lap times and consistency over runs, progression and ability to improve during the event, behaviour and attitude on and off the track, attentiveness, application, professionalism as well as overall fitness and mental readiness. Any crash during the evaluation will result in automatic elimination.Following the GT event, QMMF will also host the Karting Shoot Out at Lusail International Circuit in December 2025. As for the Formula 4 Shoot Out, it will be organized from November 3rd to November 5th in Spain. These events will follow the same invitation-based approach and evaluation criteria, ensuring that only the most qualified drivers are considered for national team selection.Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai, President of QMMF and Lusail International Circuit, said: "Through Shoot Outs we are taking steady steps towards developing the next generation of Qatari drivers. By focusing on the GT, Formula 4, and Karting categories, we are drawing a clear pathway that enables our drivers to reach international competitions, supported by the resources and expertise they need to succeed. These programs reflect our vision to establish a framework of competence and to build a sporting ecosystem capable of competing regionally and internationally, under the umbrella of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation."Together, these programs underline QMMF’s long-term strategy to nurture Qatari talent and expand the nation’s footprint on the global motorsport stage.

Taylor Fritz held off Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to seal Team World’s triumph in the Laver Cup Monday as two wins for Carlos Alcaraz on the final day proved too little for Team Europe.Fritz fired a backhand volley winner on his first match point to give Team World a 15-9 victory over Europe in the global tennis event, sparking jubilant celebrations from his teammates and World captain Andre Agassi at Chase Center – home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.“The energy from the team, it just feels the moments of winning feel so much better, the moments of losing feel so much worse because you’re doing it for all these guys,” Fritz said.“It just fires me up so much,” added the fifth-ranked American, who had beaten Alcaraz on Saturday when Team World swept all four matches to seize a 9-3 lead.Fritz had raced through the opening set against a weary-looking Zverev.The German stepped it up in the second set, but he was down a break and trailing 4-3 before he finally mustered his first break points of the night.He converted his third to level the set at 4-4 to the delight of his Europe teammates and captain Yannick Noah.A quick hold from Zverev left Fritz serving to stay in the set. He held to love and they battled to the tiebreaker, where Fritz took a 3-0 lead only for Zverev to win three straight points before Fritz won four of the final five.Alcaraz, fresh off his sixth Grand Slam title at the US Open, had kept Europe’s title defence alive with a blistering 6-2, 6-1 victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.Alcaraz and Casper Ruud had sliced Europe’s deficit with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 doubles victory over Reilly Opelka and Alex Michelsen to open Sunday’s action. But Australian world number eight Alex De Minaur then beat Czech Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-4 to push Team World’s lead to 12-6, with 13 points needed to claim the Cup and each match on Sunday worth three points.De Minaur, a late replacement on Team World for Frances Tiafoe, had nabbed two wins on Saturday – beating Zverev in singles and coming through again in doubles.Team World regained the title they surrendered to Europe last year in Berlin.Europe have won five of eight editions of the event co-created by Swiss great Roger Federer, which will be held in London next year.

The Qatari Paralympic Team will take part in the IPC Athletics World Championships, scheduled in New Delhi, India, from September 26 to October 5. More than 1,000 athletes will compete in over 160 track and field events.The Qatari delegation, headed by Board Member Mohammed Dahim al-Dosari, will depart for New Delhi Sunday. The squad includes Abdulrahman Abdulqader, Mohammed al-Kubaisi, Ali Irshad and Sarah Masoud, who will compete in shot put and wheelchair racing events.The team recently completed a closed training camp in Poland as part of its final preparations. Abdulqader and Masoud are Paralympic medalists, while al-Kubaisi and Irshad have earned regional and continental honors.Al-Dosari underlined the importance of the championships, describing them as the most prominent global event ahead of the Paralympic Games, and a platform for athletes to showcase their determination and talent. He expressed confidence in the Qatari team’s ability to deliver strong performances and continue building on their track record of success.

The Qatari volleyball team will depart for Manila on Tuesday, to participate in the FIVB Volleyball World Championship, hosted by the Philippines from September 12 to 28.This is the second participation for the Qatari team in the FIVB Volleyball World Championship, following their debut appearance in the 2022 edition held in Poland and Slovenia.The Qatari team prepared for the tournament through a series of preparations, the last of which was an intensive training camp in Doha, which included seven friendly matches: two against Egypt, two against Iran, and three against Ukraine.The tournament draw placed the Qatari team in Group B, which also includes Poland, the world's top-ranked team and the defending champion, the Netherlands, and Romania.The Qatari national team will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on Sept 13, followed by a match against Poland two days later. The first round will conclude with a match against Romania on Sept 17.Saeed Jumaa Al Hitmi, a member of the Qatar Volleyball Association's Board of Directors and head of the national team's delegation to the tournament, confirmed that preparations were conducted according to a well-thought-out plan, including an intensive internal training camp that included strong matches against various schools.Al Hitmi said in a statement Monday: "This participation represents an important opportunity for our national team to gain additional experience in facing the elite international teams participating in the tournament."He added: "The task will not be easy, but our victory in the West Asian Championship, which was recently held in Bahrain, gave the team a significant morale boost, which is a strong incentive to present a good image during our second participation in the World Championship."

In an exceptional sporting achievement, Qatar National Golf Team player Daniil Sokolov claimed the title at the 34th Jordan Open Men’s Golf Championship, held in Aqaba, Jordan, from September 4 to 6, 2025. ‍This championship is considered one of the most prestigious Arab men’s open tournaments, featuring top players from across the Arab world, alongside the first men’s national teams from the Gulf countries.Despite being only 14 years old, Daniil outperformed highly experienced competitors, establishing himself as one of the region’s most promising rising stars in golf.This victory marks a significant milestone in Daniil’s career with the Qatar Golf Association, showcasing his exceptional skills and outstanding performance throughout the tournament. His achievement highlights both his talent and his dedication to the sport.It is noteworthy that Daniil previously qualified for the U.S. Junior Golf Championship (under 19), reflecting his continuous development and ambition to reach the highest levels of the sport from a young age. Daniil Sokolov’s success stands as a proud testament to Qatari talent in the world of golf.

Portugal’s Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) held off Danish race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) at the top of the brutal summit finish of Angliru to win stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana Friday.The top two in the general classification battled it out for the stage win, leaving the rest behind in the final five km.Almeida did all the work on the climb and stayed ahead of Vingegaard in the sprint to the line.“This is a special one, I still don’t believe it,” Almeida said after the stage.“I just put my pace from the bottom and I just did my bit the best I could.“Jonas was always on my wheel, we were both on the limit and I was waiting for his attack anytime.”Thanks to the bonus seconds for the stage win, Almeida closed the gap to the red jersey to 46 seconds, with Britain’s Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) losing time but holding onto third overall, two minutes and 18 seconds off the leader.Australian Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA Hansgrohe) finished third on the 202.7km ride from Cabezon de la Sal to Alto de L’Angliru, 28 seconds behind the leading pair, just ahead of Vingegaard’s teammate Sepp Kuss.Kuss, Vuelta winner in 2023, almost lost his red jersey on Angliru that year when teammates Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic left him behind, with Roglic edging out the Dane at the finish.‘HARDEST CLIMB IN THE WORLD’Vingegaard suffered a similar fate this time around, despite looking like he was just biding his time, tucked in behind Almeida as they suffered on the final twists and turns of the infamous climb, but his attack never came.“I thought he was going to pass me on the finish line,” Almeida said. “I took the last corner and then it’s hard to pass. I think this is the hardest climb in the world, its crazy, I’m really sore.”Almeida’s pain gained him his first individual Vuelta stage win along with four seconds in the GC, and topping Angliru ahead of the race favourite may just give him the confidence he needs to go for the title.“I still have a lot of time to make up,” Almeida said.“He’s looking phenomenal so it’s gonna be a hard task but we never give up.”Pidcock also never gave up, despite getting dropped by the leaders, and came in seventh, but the race does look set to be a fight between Vingegaard and Almeida.Bob Jungels of Luxembourg (Ineos Grenadiers) put in a brave battle, part of a large breakaway group early in the stage, and the last man to be caught.At the foot of Angliru, with Nicolya Vinokurov still alongside him, pro-Palestinian protesters delayed the pair’s progress before police cleared the small group from the road.Junegles was left behind in the final seven km by the main GC contenders, and then it became a race between the top two.Today’s stage 14 is a shorter 135.9km ride from Aviles with another summit finish at Alto de La Farrapona.

Australian Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) went for broke five kilometres from the summit finish to win stage 10 of the Vuelta a Espana Tuesday, repeating his stage six victory, while race favourite Jonas Vingegaard reclaimed the leader’s red jersey.Vine caught and overtook Spain’s Pablo Castrillo (Movistar) on the climb to the finish of the 175.3km ride from Parque de la Naturaleza Sendaviva to El Ferial Larra Belagua, raising two fingers as he crossed the line after his second individual stage win of this year’s race.The 29-year-old – mountains classification winner last year and this year’s leader of the category – also won two stages in 2022.“Winning is so, so hard, and it’s such an incredible feeling when it happens,” Vine said.“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to winning, because it’s just unbelievably hard.”Castrillo held on to take second spot, 35 seconds behind Vine, with the Spaniard’s compatriot and teammate Javier Romo finishing third.Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) had lost the red jersey to Norway’s Torstein Traeen (Bahrain Victorious) after stage six, but having begun Tuesday’s stage 37 seconds off the lead, he opened a gap to Traeen on the final climb to move 26 seconds ahead in the general classification.Following Monday’s rest day, Tuesday’s stage was a mostly flat ride, with one category three climb along the way before the category one finish, and any early breaks had all been quashed by the peloton.A group, which eventually included 30 riders, made the decisive break 72km from the end, and they were allowed to get away, though the leading group was whittled down as the race wore on.There were attacks from the breakaway, with Romo trying to get away, but when Castrillo made his move with seven kilometres remaining, the Spaniard looked set for victory, but Vine reacted and powered past the leader for another stage win.The riders in the strung out peloton were never going to contest the stage win, but the GC battle commenced on the final climb and Vingegaard, who had already closed the gap to Traeen by winning the previous stage, returned to where everyone expected the Dane to be.Vingegaard was part of a small group which began passing some of the breakaway riders towards the finish, and his 11th-place finish on the stage brings an end to Traeen’s time in the red jersey.

The Qatari Paramotor Team, operating under the Qatar Air Sports Committee (QASC), have secured second place, along with the silver medal during their participation in the 12th FAI World Paramotor Championships held in Chambley-Bussieres, France, with 85 pilots representing 16 countries. The Qatari team finished second in the overall ranking for the trike category, behind the French team, which clinched first place, while the Czech team ranked third. Qatari pilots Saad al-Katheri and Zain Kuraib were awarded the bronze medal after finishing third in the individual trike tandem competition, following intense competition among 85 pilots. The Qatari team participated in three disciplines, chiefly Navigation, which focuses on locating specific points and passing through them, Economy (Eco), which tests flying for the longest possible time with a limited amount of fuel, and Precision, which measures the pilot's ability to control the canopy and complete tasks accurately, such as knocking down foam pylons from a set altitude. Strikingly, Qatar currently holds the top position globally, according to the latest paramotor rankings released annually by FAI.

The Qatar Skydive Team of the Qatar Air Sports Committee of the Joint Special Forces, is participating in the FAI Outdoor World Cup 2025, currently underway in the Netherlands and continuing until September 3, with the participation of nine national teams.The Qatari team is competing in the championship with its 8-way formation team, recognized as one of the top global teams in the sport.The team holds the world record for the largest nighttime parachute formation and boasts a distinguished history of delivering impressive aerial formations and performances. The team has completed its preparations and is expected to achieve outstanding results during the championship.Representing the Qatari team in this championship are Abdullah Ahmed Al Hammadi, Salem Rashid Al Sunaid, Khalifa Saleh Al Ali, Ghanem Al Kubaisi, Bilal Al Hajjaji, Abdullah Abad Salem, Saad Al Ali, Mohammed Shams, and Saleh Al Muhannadi.The Qatari participation is anticipated to be strong and distinctive, especially given the significant attention air sports receive to consistently reflect Qatar’s high standards.Since 2008, Qatari air sports have achieved remarkable success through multiple participations in continental and global championships, earning numerous titles and accomplishments.This success is attributed to the generous support and continuous attention from the wise leadership, which has ensured the provision of all necessary resources to elevate the level of national teams and represent Qatar in the best possible way on the international stage.The State of Qatar places great importance, both officially and popularly, on parachuting sports, which have become a prominent feature in national and public celebrations, especially during the National Day celebrated annually on December 18.

Qatar’s shooting team concluded their campaign at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship on a high note, winning the silver medal in the men’s double trap team event and raising their overall tally to seven medals.The trio of Mohammed al-Rumaihi, Saeed Abu Shareb, and Rashid al-Athba delivered a strong performance, hitting 266 targets across four rounds to secure second place behind hosts Kazakhstan. India claimed the bronze.Al-Rumaihi also finished sixth in the individual double trap event.Qatar’s medal haul also included a silver from Raya Basil in the women’s trap, and five bronze medals across various team and mixed events in trap, skeet, and rifle competitions.The championship, held over two weeks in Shymkent, featured wide participation across Asia in pistol, rifle, skeet, and trap disciplines.Secretary General of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation, Jassim Shaheen al-Sulaiti, hailed the achievement as a result of dedicated preparation and support from the Qatar Olympic Committee, calling it “a launchpad toward broader ambitions.”

Qatar’s athletics team added four more medals including one gold, two silver, and a bronze on Tuesday at the 11th Arab U-18 Athletics Championship in Tunisia, bringing their total to five with one day of competition remaining.Younis al-Balushi led the charge with gold in the pole vault, while teammate Abdullah Al Abdullah secured silver in the same event.Timo Jumaa clocked 10.76 seconds to take silver in the 100m sprint, and Saleh Mahmoud added a bronze in the discus throw to his earlier gold in shot put.

The Qatar chess team is competing in the 1st Fujairah Global Chess Championship, which runs until September 2, with approximately 600 players from both genders, hailing from 75 countries, competing across three main categories.With a total prize fund of $125,000, the contests feature the superstar division for players rated 2560 and above, including 44 grandmasters within the FIDE circuit, the world’s strongest ranked events, the master division for players rated above 2200, with around 330 participants, as well as the open division for players rated below 2200.The Qatar team includes International Master (IM) Hussein Aziz, Khaled al-Jumaat, Hamad al-Kuwari, Turki al-Kuwari, Fahad al-Mansouri, Ibrahim al-Janahi, Saif Ahmed, Layan al-Qassabi, and Rawda al-Qassabi.In addition, International Arbiter (IA) Sara al-Mahmadi is set to participate in the International Fair Play Seminar on the margins of the tournament from August 28-31.The Qatar News Agency (QNA) spoke with Qatar Chess Association (QCA) president Mohammed al-Mudahka, who asserted that hopes are high for the national team to achieve incredible results throughout this participation, which is set to yield significant gains amid the presence of a contingent of players ranked among the world’s top 100 in chess.Al-Mudahka further indicated that all preparations are fully primed for those players, describing the tournament as one of the most powerful globally in terms of the average rating of the participating players, with some 600 players coming from a wide swath of countries.He noted that these competitions receive tremendous global interest and are directly broadcast on FIDE’s website, as well as other renowned global platforms.