Pilar Fathers along with ODA Grassroots FA and Bidesh XI SC organizing Football camp in Sattari

 Pilar Fathers along with ODA Grassroots FA and Bidesh XI SC organizing Football camp in Sattari

Panjim:  There is a lot of sporting talent in Sattari taluka especially it comes to football and hockey, which over the years have not been tapped but things are changing thanks to the initiative of the Pilar Fathers who are very much interested to tap the talent and promote them at every given opportunity.

The Pilar Fathers, who have a full fledge hockey youth development programme for school children in Honda area have now ventured into football and what better way to kick start the journey with a summer coaching camp for boys who have completed their board exams.

“There are some 35 boys who are attending the camp, these children have answered their 10th and 12th exams...they have good talent but have not learnt football under any coaches so their fundamentals are weak, so the camp is to correct their basic fundamentals,” said Fr George Nandiyala of the Pilar Fathers.

Pilar Fathers Sports for youth development in collaboration with ODA Grassroots Football Academy and Bidesh XI Sports Club are organizing the summer football camp with the help of Honda sarpanch Shivdas Madkar, informed Fr George.

The significant feature of the Pilar Fathers hockey program, which caters to both boys and girls, is taking care of the school studies of the trainees with tuition classes arranged for them before their training session so that they do not lag behind in their academic studies.

For the records, Fr George played football and hockey at the college level and got his initial football coaching s lessons in Cuncolim.

“The camp took me to my younger days when we used to train under coach levino Dias and other coaches at Poitomaddo ground Cuncolim,” recalled Fr Geroge, who did his school studies in Our Lady of Health Cuncolim.

Fr George said that there are no football academies in Sattari and players from the taluka seldom get a chance to play for any the top clubs from the state.

“This camp will hopefully be attended by the talent scouts of the some of the big clubs of Goa and they will be selected for some of the big clubs of Goa, “hoped Fr George.

“The camp will also help us to scout good players also and at the end of the camp there will be league organised among the players on March 29,” added Fr George.

Mohammed Rizlan back in the Qatar squad for ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier B in Doha

 Mohammed Rizlan back in the Qatar squad for  ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier B in Doha

 

Mohammed Rizlan back in the Qatar squad for  ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier B in Doha after a gap of more than one year.

 

In the two matches, he has failed to impress scoring in single digits (1 and 6) against Thailand and Bhutan and  but the 39-year-old will fight back in the remaining matches.

 

He last played for Qatar in April 2023.

 

Turn back and this is what we had said when he was dropped after the April 2023 tournament.

Is Mohammed Rizlan dropped from the Qatar team?????

Rizlan captained the Qatar team in the last tournament Hopefully cricket fans have not seen the last of the 38-year-old.

If Himashu Rathod can make his debut at 36 and won the man of the match award then Rizlan can certain live up to the expectations of the fans

Age is certainly not a criteria to drop him, if has been dropped on those grounds or is that something which is not known to us, only Rizlan and the selectors know.

Mind you Mohammed Tanveer at aged 42 is the oldest player in the team and was the top scorer in the Qatar innings against Bahrain and how he made it to the team is another untold story.

There are a few Qatar debutants who are in the early 30's who have made his debut in Friday-Saturday T 20 match.

That all for the age ......selections. One needs to honour the players contribution to the game ask him to gracefully step down.....the transition should be smooth, and one of mutual respect.

Hopefully Rizlan will make his bat talk again and prove once again that age does not matter and it is just a number.

So let’s play straight and with the full face of the bat and send the ball all along the carpet past the bowler all the way to the boundary.

Another ball, another innings, another match.....players come and players go,,,,but how we treat them and give them respect is important.

That distinguishes us whether we are gentleman playing the gentlemen's game or something else.

Badminton: Prakriti Bharath of Prime Sports Club Qatar excels at Cairo tournament

 

Badminton: Prakriti Bharath of Prime Sports Club Qatar excels at Cairo tournament

 

Prakriti Bharath secured a Bronze medal 🥉🏆at the Egypt International 2024, held in Cairo recently. Playing in her first international tournament in the senior women’s category, and winning a Bronze on her debut is truly commendable,” wrote the Prime Sports Club badminton academy management in their congratulation message to the player.

Prakriti faced a thrilling three-setter against Stefani Stoeva from Bulgaria, the tournament champion. She won the first game 22-20 with an impressive display of skill and agility. Although she couldn’t sustain the same momentum, she gave it her all, finishing with scores of 14-21 and 16-21 in the following games. Notably, Prakriti was the only player to take a game from Stefani.

“Hearty congratulations, Prakriti! 🥰🥰👍👏👏 Focus and work hard more, this is just the beginning of your journey toward achieving your Olympic dreams. We admire your dedication, discipline, and hard work,” Prime Sports added in their message.

“Congratulations to all the coaches who were behind her as a backbone and appreciate their commitment. Also, we wish to congratulate her proud parents for their tremendous support and sacrifices,” the message adds.

The Qatar Badminton Community has also congratulated Prakriti for her success.

“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Prakriti. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and tenure. May she achieve great success!”

For the records, she is ranked world ranking of Badminton World Federation is 12 as off today in the juniors and her best ranking has been 11 while in the senior category her world rank is 451

This year in the 10 international tournaments she has played so far, she has won two gold and 4 bronze medals.

Out of 4 bronze 1 is in senior category an Indian national she has also won titles at the state and national level in the junior and senior categories in the tournaments held in India.

8th edition of Longines-Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour 2024-25 begins on Thursday

8th edition of Longines-Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour 2024-25 begins on Thursday 

 

The Qatar Equestrian Tour - Longines Hathab, supported by The Social & Sport Contribution Fund (Daam), commenced on September 25th, 2024, and will continue until May 2025.

 An initiative put forward by HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Shaqab, this premier equestrian tour serves as a cornerstone for the horse-riding community in Qatar. It aims to nurture the Qatar’s future international champions and promote horsemanship as an integral part of Qatar's cultural heritage.

Organized collaboratively by the Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) and Al Shaqab, a member of Qatar Foundation, and generously supported by The Social & Sport Contribution Fund (Daam), the Qatar Equestrian Tour - Hathab will feature 14 individual and team competitions in showjumping and dressage across various age categories. These competitions will be held at QEF and the Longines Arena at Al Shaqab from September 2024 to May 2025.

The 1st tour of 8^TH Qatar Equestrian Tour - Longines Hathab is scheduled from September 26 to 27 at the Qatar Equestrian & Modern Pentathlon Federation’s indoor indoor Arena. All 14 tours will take place at the Qatar Equestrian Federation and the Longines Arena at Al Shaqab.

The mandatory veterinary check for the opening three-day leg was held on Wednesday.

The highly popular annual domestic equestrian series which includes showjumping and dressage will have 14 rounds and conclude on May 10, 2025. The organising committee for the 8th edition of the Longines-Hathab has completed the arrangements for the launch of the first round.

According to the announced schedule, the competitions of the second round will be held on October 10, 11 and 12, and the rounds will continue until the 14th final round, which will be held on May 8, 9 and 10, 2025. The first round will see Future Riders, Small Tour, Amateur Class, Medium Tour, Open Class and Big Tour action for various heights from 60cm to 145cm.

This year, the championship in showjumping teams’ competition will see the participation of 9 teams for the first time, including an all-women team called Al Salam besides Famaganis, Wathnan, Lekhwiya, and the Doha Bank teams. The Longines-Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour is one of the most prominent local championships held in Qatar in the field of equestrianism and aims to support and develop the level of equestrianism in the country by providing a first-class competitive platform that allows participants the opportunity to develop their skills and abilities as well as enhance co-operation and partnerships between local entities concerned with equestrian sports.

Longines Hathab Tour Schedule
(Jumping & Future Riders)

On Thursday: Future Riders Class 6-12 Optimum Time (60cm) 4pm; Future Riders Class 12-16 Optimum Time (80cm) 4.45pm; Small Tour: Accumalator With Joker (110cm) 7pm; Amateur: Table A, Two Phases (100cm) 4pm
On Friday: Medium Tour (Individual & Teams): Table A, Special Two Phases (130cm) 7pm.
On Saturday: Open Class: Table A, One round against the clock (120cm) 4pm; Big Tour: Table A, Special Two Phases (145cm) 7pm.

Longines serves as the main sponsor of the Longines Hathab, with Doha Bank, ExxonMobil, Salam International, and Zabarjad as official sponsors of the Qatar Equestrian Tour - Longines Hat

QATAR MOTOR & MOTORCYCLE FEDERATION AND LUSAIL INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT TO HOST 2025 FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON OPENER

 

Tickets are on sale now for next spring’s 

Qatar 1812 KM - 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship race

Doha, Qatar, 12 September 2024 - Lusail International Circuit (LIC) is set to host the season opener of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) next spring, titled the Qatar 1812 KM - 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship. This thrilling event is named in honor of Qatar’s National Day.

Taking place from February 26 to 28, tickets for the motorsport spectacle are now on sale. Fans will witness multiple cars racing simultaneously across two categories: Hypercar and LMGT3, in an intense battle that will last up to ten hours. A 200 Qatari Riyal ticket valid for all three days of the event provides access to two prime viewing areas: the Main Grandstand and Lusail Hill. While the former offers an excellent view of the start/finish line and pit lane action, the latter is a dedicated elevated viewing platform located at Turn 1, providing spectators with an unparalleled vantage point of one of the most exciting parts of the track. Additionally, Children under 12 can attend free of charge, making this an exciting family-friendly event.

Now entering its thirteenth year, the WEC continues to be the world’s premier international endurance championship. In 2025, the series will span eight rounds, with races in Qatar, Italy, Belgium, France, Brazil, the USA, Japan, and Bahrain, reinforcing its status as one of the most prestigious championships in motorsport.

Following the success of the 2024 season, a minimum of 14 manufacturers are expected to compete. Among the highlights is nine-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi, who transitioned from two wheels to four, driving the BMW M4 GT3 #46 in the new LMGT3 category. Additionally, the renowned Iron Dames, a project aimed at supporting women in motorsport team, will also be participating in the event, driving their iconic Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 #83 in their distinctive hot pink racing suits. Last but not least, former Formula 1®  world champion Jenson Button will continue his FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with the JOTA Sport team in 2025, bringing his star power to the privateer British squad after their victory at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps last year.

Event Schedule:

• February 26, 2025: Free practice sessions

• February 27, 2025: Qualifying sessions

February 28, 2025: Qatar 1812 KM - 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship