Qatar’s 3x3 basketball team won the silver medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after reaching the final with an unbeaten record.Qatar lost 19-10 to South Korea in the gold medal match on Friday to finish second, matching its result at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, where it lost 18-16 to Chinese Taipei in the final. The Qatar squad in Aichi-Nagoya comprised Mohammed Hashim, Hamad Yassin, Nizar Mahmoud and Mubarak Jama.Qatar opened its Group C campaign with a 10-7 victory over Indonesia before beating Chinese Taipei 18-15 and Bahrain 21-15. The three wins saw Qatar top the group and advance to the knockout stage.In the quarter-finals, Qatar defeated Mongolia 18-14 before overcoming Iran 14-11 in the semi-finals to book its place in the final. South Korea proved too strong in the title decider, leaving Qatar with silver after five successive victories on its way to the final. **media[496050]**The medal adds to a successful 2026 for Qatar’s 3x3 team. Earlier this year, Qatar won gold at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya after beating Thailand 21-10 in the final. The team also claimed gold at the fourth Gulf Games in Doha.Qatar also has a strong record on the international stage, having won the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Moscow in 2014 and the Under-18 World Cup in 2016.Hashim said the team had targeted gold but was pleased to have finished on the podium. "I certainly hoped to win the gold medal; that was our goal and ambition from the start of the tournament. We played with the aim of reaching the podium and bringing home the gold, but in the final match, bad luck worked against us at times. Additionally, we faced a strong Korean team that possesses great capabilities."Yassin was also satisfied with Qatar’s campaign despite missing out on gold. "We were playing for the gold medal, which was our goal from the beginning of the tournament. I believe the team delivered great performances and played strong matches throughout the competition, and we deserved to reach the final. We gave it our all in the final."The 3x3 silver took Team Qatar’s medal tally at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 to five, comprising two golds, two silvers and one bronze. The shooting team has won two golds in the skeet events, while the karate team has claimed silver and bronze. **media[496054]** Handball team beats Japan to top groupQatar’s handball team defeated Japan 37-28 to complete the group stage with a perfect record and secure top spot in Group A. The victory was Qatar’s third in a row, giving it six points and setting up a quarter-final against Iran, who finished fourth in Group B, on Saturday.Qatar led 18-13 at half-time and maintained control after the break to secure a comfortable victory. The opening 10 minutes were closely contested, with the teams trading goals and the score level at 6-6. Qatar then began to establish control, moving 13-11 ahead in the 22nd minute and 15-12 in the 27th.Goalkeeper Saif El-Din Deeb played a key role, making several important saves as Qatar extended its advantage. Japan called a timeout to halt the momentum, but Qatar continued to press and moved 18-12 ahead before Japan scored late in the half.Japan tried to reduce the deficit after the break, but Qatar remained in control and led 22-15. With the match entering its final 10 minutes, Qatar’s coach rotated the squad to rest key players. Japan attempted to take advantage but could not close the gap as Qatar completed a 37-28 victory.Captain Ahmed Madadi welcomed the result and said the team must quickly turn its attention to Iran."We achieved an important win and qualified for the quarter-finals with a perfect record. We have only 24 hours to prepare for the match against Iran, and we hope to be fully ready. The coach gave every player a chance to participate today, and we aim to be in peak condition for the upcoming clash."He added: "We are satisfied with our performance against Japan; we pulled together effectively, executed our game plan, and succeeded in securing the win."Madadi said the quarter-final against Iran would present a different challenge and could be decided by small margins. "We hope for success and aim to win, continuing our journey by advancing to the semi-finals." **media[496051]** Ibrahim reaches 400m finalQatar runner Ammar Ibrahim qualified for the men’s 400m final after finishing second in his heat in 45.31 seconds. Ibrahim will compete in Saturday’s final with hopes of winning a medal in a strong field. Ashraf Osman finished fourth in the 400m race in 45.93 seconds. **media[496053]**Meanwhile, Qatar hammer thrower Ashraf El-Saifi produced a season-best throw of 71.41m to finish fifth in the final, 2.97 metres behind Uzbekistan’s Sukhrob Khodjaev, who claimed the gold medal. **media[496055]** Saad El-Din finishes sixth in 400m freestyleQatar’s swimming team concluded its participation at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with athletes competing in freestyle and butterfly events. Saad El-Din was Qatar’s standout performer on the final day. He qualified for the men’s 400m freestyle final after clocking 3:55.48 in the heats before finishing sixth in the final in 3:49.71.Qatar 2 faces Thailand for group top spotQatar’s beach volleyball pair Mousa al-Khair and Ihab Mohamed face Thailand on Saturday in a decisive Group D match. The Qatar 2 duo has already secured a place in the last 16 after victories over South Korea and Sri Lanka. Saturday’s match will determine the group winner and runner-up.Qatar will be looking to maintain its winning run and build on its strong performances in the opening two matches. Al-Khair and Ihab have shown good understanding throughout the group stage, combining effective attacking play with solid defence and making the most of their opponents’ mistakes. **media[496056]** Equestrian duo to compete in individual dressageQatar riders Jassim al-Kuwari and Saud al-Buainain will compete in the individual dressage competition Saturday. The pair competed in the dressage events as a preparation for the individual competition. Al-Kuwari scored 65.559 points, while aAl-Buainain, making his Asian Games debut, recorded 66.412. The top 15 riders will qualify for the final.Al-Kuwari said he was satisfied with his performance and is now focused on producing his best effort in Saturday's competition.
