Teddy Riner Secures 11th Gold Medal at World Judo Championships After 6-Year Absence

  In a highly anticipated comeback after a six-year absence, French world champion Teddy Riner returned to claim his eleventh medal at the 2023 Judo World Championships in Doha, solidifying his position as one of the greatest judokas in history.

 

Teddy Riner's victory in the men's over 100 kg category came after he defeated Inal Tasoev in a seven-minute round. The audience reacted with much excitement to Riner's win, who won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016. Most seating in the Ali bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena on the seventh day of the championship was sold out.

 

The mixed team competitions are scheduled to begin tomorrow, Sunday, May 14th. Each team consists of three men and three women from different weight categories who will compete in a series of matches, with each member facing an opponent from another country.

 

Khalid bin Hamad Al Attiyah, who serves as both the President of Qatar Karate, Judo, and Taekwondo Federation and the Vice President and General Director of the Local Organising Committee received a black belt from Mr. Marius Vizer, President of the International Judo Federation, in recognition of his valuable contributions to the Judo community.

 

For more information about the World Judo Championships - Doha 2023 and to purchase tickets, please visit the official website judodoha2023.com.

Qatar along with Turkey and Nepal become full members of World Rugby

Qatar has been approved as a full member at the Annual Meeting of World Rugby Council, which was held virtually on 11 May. 

Nepal and Turkey are the other two nations which have been approved as full members. Each of the three national unions have ascended to that status having previously been associate members. 

World Rugby’s supreme decision-making body approved the recommendations of the Executive Board and Regional Committee, to accept their moves to full membership, after Nepal, Qatar and Turkey each met the necessary governance criteria. 

Although the total membership of the international federation remains at 132, its make-up has been changed by the promotion of the three unions and now comprises 114 full members and 18 associate members. 

The move demonstrates the continued strategic focus on the expansion of rugby’s reach across the globe, driven by a surge of interest in women’s rugby, and the development of rugby sevens in emerging nations. Qatar and Turkey’s promotion to full member status comes three years after the two unions were admitted as associate members in May, 2020. 

The news was also confirmed less than a week after Qatar claimed the men’s Asia Rugby Championship Division 2 2023 title, following wins against India and Kazakhstan in Doha. 

Qatar Rugby Federation President Yousef Al Kuwari and General Secretary Abdulla Al Khater said in a joint statement: “We are thrilled and honoured to be recognised as a full World Rugby member.

  “This is a momentous occasion for the Qatar Rugby Federation and a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in promoting and developing rugby in our country.

 “We are excited to take our place amongst many other esteemed unions and contribute to the growth of this great sport." Rugby has been played in Qatar since 1974, when the first club was formed, and the Qatar Rugby Federation have an ambitious strategic plan to develop the sport at grassroots level, creating a pathway from age-grade to the senior national sides by 2030.

AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023TM logo revealed

 AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023^TM logo revealed

 

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ have launched today the Official Logo of the competition. The logo was revealed to audiences at the Final Draw at the Katara Opera House in Doha, Qatar on 11 May.
 
The newly launched logo combines the silhouette of the famous AFC Asian Cup™ trophy with unique cultural elements that embody the competition’s spirit. The lines of the trophy draw inspiration from the feathers of the majestic falcon, a bird with historical significance to the nation of Qatar, and the petals of Asia’s indigenous lotus flower. The two native symbols are united by one trait: their ability to rise above, as the lotus flower floats above water and the falcon soars in the sky.
 
The top of the logo is adorned with the iconic maroon, or ennabi, Qatar’s national color. The typography is inspired by Arabic calligraphy, paying homage to the nation’s language and its beautiful calligraphy. Finally, the logo is tailed with a shape resembling a diamond, which is the Arabic “nuqta” or dot that can be seen across many Arabic letters and is considered to be a symbol of clarity in Arabic writing.
 
Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the AFC President, said: “The logo’s design reinforces the ambitions of the AFC and the LOC to leverage on Asia’s most prestigious showpiece to underline football as the Continent’s number one sport by engaging with the hundreds of millions of passionate fans of Asian football, whilst also presenting pronounced elements of the dazzling AFC Asian Cup™ trophy unveiled at the last edition as well as the warm Qatari and Arabic culture.”
 
H.E. Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, President of the Qatar Football Association and Chairman of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ LOC added: “We are excited to once again welcome football fans to Qatar for what we hope will be the best AFC Asian Cup™ yet. Football has the power to unite people, promote important cultural exchange and leave a lasting legacy for Qatar and the entire Continent.
 
“The reveal of the tournament’s logo highlights the richness of Qatar’s culture and puts in motion a countdown to the Continent’s most prestigious football tournament. In the months ahead, the LOC will work closely with the AFC to create a memorable experience for fans and players alike, and showcase the tremendous talent that Asia has to offer.”
 
As the preparations for the competition reach the final stages, the logo will be a prominent feature across the host city, the eight confirmed venues as well as on competition collaterals and various online platforms that will further enhance the stature and brand of Asia’s flagship competition, which will take place from 12 January to 10 February in Qatar.

4th AFC Coach Education Conference focuses on ‘Educating Tomorrow’s Coaches’

 The 4th AFC Coach Education Conference officially drew to an end on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where over 100 coach tutors and Technical Directors from all over Asia convened to discuss the latest developments and best practices in coach education. 

With the theme of “Educating Tomorrow’s Coaches”, the event was marked by insightful lectures, workshops, interactive dialogues – all aimed towards achieving the collective goal of making football the number one sport on the Continent and ensuring the success of Asian teams at all levels on the biggest stages in the world.

Inaugurated by the AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John, the Conference proved to be an excellent platform for coaches to not only exchange ideas with their peers, but also provided an opportunity to raise awareness on the challenges faced in their respective Member Associations (MAs).

With the welfare of the future generations of footballers and coaches forming the central theme of the three-day long event, some of the key topics that were discussed included the need to focus on the leadership role of the coach as well as the developmental implications of the recently concluded FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The attendees at the Conference were also briefed on the AFC’s Coach Education Guidelines as well as the latest requirements of the AFC Coaching Convention – which aims to improve the level of coaches and instructors in a standardised manner across Asia. 

The event also featured experts from the Japan Football Association (JFA), Qatar Football Association (QFA), and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) who presented valuable insights on the structures and pathways in place to produce more Pro-Licensed qualified coaches in their respective MAs.

The final day of the Conference saw participants benefiting from an informative lecture by FIFA's Head of Coaching and Player Development Branco Ujevic on the world governing body’s Coach Educators’ Programme before concluding with an engaging session on the ways to further elevate the standards of coach education across the Continent.

“In order to achieve a sustained positive impact on Asian clubs and national teams and to produce quality players, we need quality coaches, and we are grateful to the AFC’s Technical staff for providing its MAs with the required support that helps us work towards our goal of reaching the benchmark level under the Convention,” said Takeshi Ono of the JFA.

Speaking of the befitting theme, All India Football Federation (AIFF) Technical Director Syed Sabir Pasha said: “The last three days have been a wonderful experience and I am confident I speak for all of us when we say that we will go back to our own federations with a new approach towards coaching and I hope the AFC continues to host sessions for us so that we can keep up with all the latest developments.”

SAMF TO HOST SAUDI TOYOTA CHAMPIONSHIP ANNUAL PRIZE GIVING AWARDS’ CEREMONY ON SATURDAY IN RIYADH

 SAMF TO HOST SAUDI TOYOTA CHAMPIONSHIP ANNUAL PRIZE

GIVING AWARDS’ CEREMONY ON SATURDAY IN RIYADH

 

RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA): The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) holds its annual prize giving ceremony for each of its national motor sporting championships on Saturday (May 13^th).

 

Running under the chairmanship of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, the President of the SAMF, the federation organised six Saudi Toyota Championships in 2022, with competitors set to receive awards in rallying, autocross, drift, time attack, drag and hill climb racing.

 

Attendees at the prize giving will include H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, senior officials of the SAMF, officials from title sponsor Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors and strategic sponsor Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB), members of the Ministry of Sport, Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committees, social media influencers and representatives from partners of success.

 

Officials at the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation will be honouring the various winners of each of the sporting disciplines, in addition to using the occasion to thank sponsors and strategic partners for making the 2022 season such a success.

 

Over the diverse range of motor sport covered by the Saudi Toyota Championships, 283 competitors from 29 nations took part in 19 events over the six disciplines during the course of 2022.

 

There were 25 female competitors, five youngsters and competitors from seven regions and 23 governates across the Kingdom. Over 500 marshals were involved in ensuring the safety of competitors ad spectators alike.

 

Official figures released by the SAMF state that between 80,000 and 85,000 people attended the events during the course of the year over 43 days and 516 hours of competition.

 

Media and digital coverage of the events was impressive with footage appearing on over 50 television channels and, with the support of social influencers and over 500 press releases, the total reach of the 2022 Saudi Toyota Championships was in excess of 100 million people.

 

Winners of awards in the inaugural Saudi Toyota Championship in 2019 will also be honoured after that official prize giving ceremony was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2019 season covered four motor sporting disciplines – rally, rolling drag, autocross and drift.

SAMF ANNOUNCES TABUK-NEOM ROUND OF THE SAUDI TOYOTA RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

 SAMF ANNOUNCES TABUK-NEOM ROUND OF THE SAUDI TOYOTA RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

 

• Three-day desert event is based in Tabuk for first time and runs from May 18^th-20^th

 

RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA): The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) has announced initial details of the Tabuk-Neom Rally, the second round of the 2023 Saudi Toyota Rally Championship, which takes place on May 18^th-20^th.

 

Running under the chairmanship of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, the President of the SAMF, the event will run over three days, with a traditional Qualifying stage and two demanding desert stages. This is the first time a rally has ever run out of the city of Tabuk.

 

The event is open to cars complying to FIA regulations and bikes running under the auspices of the FIM. In addition, there will be a National event running at the rear of the field.

 

Administration and scrutineering checks will take place at the service park at the Grand Millennium Hotel in Tabuk, in the far north-west of Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, May 17^th before the pre-rally press conference takes centre stage on Thursday morning. This precedes the ceremonial start and the all-important Qualifying stage on Thursday afternoon to determine start orders for the desert sections.

 

The first of the special stages takes place on Friday, May 19^th, with the action reaching a conclusion on Saturday, May 20^th before the post-rally press conference and prize giving ceremony. The official entry list will be announced later this week

 

The Tabuk-Neom Rally is being run in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with official sponsor Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors and strategic sponsor Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB).

 

The Saudi Toyota Rally Championship is scheduled to run over four events this year. The Saudi Baja-Hail was the opening round in February and also a round of the FIA World and Middle East World Cups for Cross-Country Bajas and the FIM Bajas World Cup.

 

Rounds three and four, Rally Qassim and Rally Jeddah, will take place on September 14^th-16^th and December 14^th-16^th and offer teams an excellent opportunity to test before the 2024 Dakar Rally.

 

Last year, Yazeed Al-Rajhi claimed victories in the Aseer, Qassim, Saudi Baja and Jeddah events to seal the title with a clean sweep of wins in the car category in his Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux.

 

The Black Horse Team’s Saleh Al-Saif won the championship’s T3 title, while Saudi Border Guard team driver Khaled Al-Feraihi and French co-driver Sébastien Delaunay won the National Championship. Fellow Saudi Ahmed Al-Shegawi secured the T2 title.

QATAR’S NASSER SALEH AL-ATTIYAH LEADS INTERNATIONAL JORDAN RALLY ENTRY

 QATAR’S NASSER SALEH AL-ATTIYAH LEADS INTERNATIONAL JORDAN RALLY ENTRY

 

AMMAN (JORDAN): Twenty-five crews and competitors from seven nations grace the entry list for the Jordan Rally, round three of the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), which takes place on May 18^th-20^th.  

 

Multiple regional champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah heads the field in his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. He faces competition from Oman’s Abdullah Al-Rawahi in a Škoda Fabia R5, 16 crews competing in a variety of Mitsubishis and Subarus in the MERC2 category and seven local teams running at the rear of the field.

 

Al-Attiyah again teams up with Andorra-based co-driver Mathieu Baumel, as the Qatari chases a record-breaking 16^th win in the Hashemite Kingdom and his partner aims for personal win number eight.

 

Al-Rawahi and local co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud will offer the closest realistic challenge on an event where 15-time Rally of Lebanon winner Roger Feghali heads the impressive line-up of MERC2 contenders in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.

 

Main competition for the Lebanese is likely to come from regular MERC2 series front-runner and multiple champion Meshari Al-Thefiri. A strong Jordanian line-up consists of entries from Shaker Jweihan, Issa Abu Jamous, Ameer Nassif, Shadi Shaban, Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez, Fadi Darshan, Sami Fleifel, Ihab Al-Shorafa and the talented young Mustafa Al-Atari.

 

Also registered in the MERC2 section are Palestine’s Hamada Odeh, Lebanese series regular Ahmad Khaled, Kuwait’s Yousef and Salem Al-Dhafeeri and Oman’s Zakariya Al-Aamri.

 

The Jordanian septet of Feisal Al-Ghammaz, Nancy Al-Majali, Ibrahim Al-Ali, Asem Aref, Hashem Kalbouneh, Ghaith Qubti and Ziad Miqdad will run in a National Rally behind the FIA field.

 

Jordan Motorsport have again laid on 12 special stages and 205.22km competitive kilometres in a total route of 588.88km.

 

Support for this year’s event comes from Zain Jordan, Hala and Bliss FM.

JORDAN MOTORSPORT ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF 2023 JORDAN RALLY

 

AMMAN (JORDAN): Jordan Motorsport has announced details of the forthcoming Jordan Rally, round three of the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), which takes place on May 18^th-20^th.  

 

One of the most famous motorsport events in the Middle East and three-times a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), the Jordan Rally is one of the most challenging events in the region and the 2023 event will be no exception. Officials have again laid on 12 special stages and 205.22km competitive kilometres in a total route of 588.88km.

 

After the pre-event press conference and ceremonial start on Thursday, May 18^th, attention switches to the competitive action in the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas of the Hashemite Kingdom over the weekend.

 

Friday’s (May 19^th) three timed tests will be used in the morning and the afternoon and are centred around the Jordan Valley area to the north of the Dead Sea. As was the case in 2022, action gets underway with a run through the 9.71km of the Yakrut stage (first car - 09.27hrs) that carves its way across winding off-road trails to the left of the main desert link road between Amman and the Dead Sea hotel area.

 

Rally officials have then again laid on a mammoth stage of 40.79km (first car - 10.49hrs) that runs along the Jordan River valley close to the frontier with the West Bank. This stage can be affected by inclement weather conditions and has seen competitors have their fair share of drama over the years.

 

The loop is completed by a run through an 11.34km stage (first car – 11.52hrs) close to the historic Baptism Site. The three specials are then repeated from 13.21hrs, 14.43hrs and 15.46hrs, respectively, after a return to the Dead Sea for a lunchtime regroup and service.

 

The first of two passes through the Bahath stage (12.69km) gets the action underway on Saturday (May 20^th) from 10.22hrs. Competitors then tackle an 11.08km stage at Suwayma (first car – 11.08hrs) and the 17.00km of Ma’in 1 (first car – 11.49hrs) to the north and east of the Dead Sea hotel area, before returning to the service park before midday.

 

The three specials will then be repeated from 13.37hrs, 14.09hrs and 15.04hrs in the afternoon, while the podium finish is scheduled for 17.30hrs at the service park overlooking the Dead Sea.

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah currently holds a 20-point advantage in the Drivers’ Championship after finishing second in Oman and first on his home event in February. His closest challengers are Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri and Qatari veteran Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya, who are both tied for second place with 34 points.

 

Al-Thefiri has a 15-point cushion over fellow countryman Yousef Al-Dhafiri in the FIA MERC2 Championship. Jordanian driver Shadi Shaban is third.

 

The closing date for entries is Tuesday, May 2^nd. Further details are available from Jordan Motorsport, Email: info@jordanrally.com and www.jordanrally.com.

 

Support for this year’s event comes from Zain Jordan, Hala and Bliss FM.

Canada’s Christa Deguchi and Switzerland’s Nils Stump win gold at Judo World Championships – Doha 2023

 Canada’s Christa Deguchi and Switzerland’s Nils Stump win gold at Judo World Championships – Doha 2023

Doha, 9 May 2023 - Swiss athlete Nils Stump was crowned the men's under 73 kg gold medalist on the third day of the Judo World Championships - Doha 2023, while Canadian athlete Christa Deguchi won the women's under 57 kg gold medal.

The competitions were intense for both men and women on the third day, as 55 athletes competed in the men's under 73 kg category, starting from the preliminary rounds and reaching the finals, where Stump defeated Italian athlete Manuel Lombardo to win the gold medal, with Lombardo receiving the silver medal. Uzbek athlete Muradjon Yuldashev and former world champion, Japanese athlete Soichi Hashimoto, both won bronze medals.

In the women's under 57 kg category, 50 athletes competed from the preliminary rounds to the finals, where Canadian athlete Christa Deguchi defeated Japanese athlete Haruka Funakobo to win the gold medal. Mongolian athlete Enkhriilen Lkhagvatogoo and Canadian athlete Jessica Klimkait both won bronze medals.

For more information about the Judo World Championships - Doha 2023 and to purchase tickets, please visit the official website judodoha2023.com.