NEWS - Qatar Olympic Committee

NEWS
IN BRIEF
The 2009 Middle East
Rally season began with
the Qatar Rally which took
place between January 22 – 24. The
new edition of Middle East Rally
will include 8 rounds, starting from
Qatar Rally, followed by Kuwait Rally
(March 5-7), KSA Rally (April 7-9),
Jordan Rally (May 7-9), Syria Rally
(June 11-13), Lebanon Rally (July 5-3),
Cyprus Rally (October 9-11) and Rally
Dubai (December 5-3).
Qatar’s Al Sadd and Al Ahli
Sports Clubs will compete
at the Asian Handball
Champions League that will take place
in Saudi Arabia from February 12-24.
Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia will host the
16-team championship, which is run
by the Asian Handball Federation.
Al Sadd Sports Club will
bid to host the inaugural
Asian Futsal Championship
with the support of the Qatar Football
Association (QFA). The club is all set to
prepare for its bid which will be sent
to the Asian Football Confederation
through the QFA. The championship
is expected to feature 10 Asian teams
and will be held in July.
The 2009 Epee Grand
Prix for men and women,
organised by the Qatar
Fencing Federation, saw fencers from
26 countries compete in the men’s
competition and from 17countries in
the women’s competition. Along with
the host nation, the Grand Prix for
Women featured fencers from France,
Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, Hungary,
Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland,
Sweden, Ukraine and Germany.
The event took place at the Aspire
Academy between January 23-26.
Qatar’s Mishal Al-Naimi
won the SuperBike event of
the Qatar International Road
Racing Championship, which was held
at the Losail international circuit in
December. Naif Al Qubaisi fi nished
second, while Nasser Al Malki took
third overall. Rashid Al Manai
claimed the Super Sport event
championship title.
10 QATARSPORT Q5.09
AL-ATTIYAH
SETS NEW
GOALS
Al-Attiyah celebrates winning the Cyprus Rally in 2008
Qatari rally star Nasser Al-Attiyah is looking
towards the London 2012 Olympic Games to
fulfi ll his ultimate sporting ambition after a
record year behind the wheel in 2008.
Qatar’s fl ag-bearer at the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games made history last year, when
he become the fi rst rally driver to achieve an
FIA treble in a single season by winning the
Middle East Rally Championship, the FIA
World Cup for Cross Country Rallies and the
FIA Baja World Cup.
His FIA World Cup triumph, with Swedish
co-driver Tina � urner in the fi nal round of the
UAE Desert Challenge, also marked the fi rst
win by an Arab driver since compatriot Saeed
Al-Hajri drove to victory across the Emirati
desert in 1993. “It was a special feeling to win
the Desert Challenge considering that for 15
years we have had no winners from the Arab
world, said the 38-year-old. “My constant aim
is to improve upon my previous performances
and my physical fi tness, as well as to be a good
ambassador for Qatar.”
But it’s in a quite diff erent sport, with very
diff erent skill-sets, that Al-Attiyah has focused
his Olympic ambitions. “A gold medal in skeet
shooting at the Olympics is a dream that I have
nursed for a long time. God willing, I hope I
can realise it in 2012 in London,” said Al-
Attiyah, who narrowly missed out on a medal
at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
PRICE IS RIGHT
FOR QATAR TEAM
American Jay Price led his Qatar
Team to clinch the 2008 U.I.M. F1
World Championship in December -
and then thanked the Qatar Marine
Sports Federation for giving him
the chance to race at the pinnacle of
powerboating.
After his decisive win in Abu Dhabi,
Price said, “I spent many years
racing in smaller countries trying
to keep my career alive and it
truly paid off in the end. The great
people at the Qatar Marine Sports
Federation gave me the chance to
prove myself. I shall be forever in
their debt for having faith in my
abilities.”
Along with Price, the Qatar team
consisted of Youssef Al Khulaifi and
Ahmed Al Fayaad.