Hamad Nasser al-Qadhi is leading the Hathab Equestrian Series standings, ahead of the ninth leg of the popular event, which will be held at Al Shaqab this Friday and Saturday. Nasser al-Ghazali is the second place, followed by Rashed Tuwaim al-Marri in third.
In the junior’s, Saeed al-Qadhi occupies the first place. Mohamed Sultan al-Suwaidi and Mohamed Saeed Haydan are in second and third place respectively. Hathab, meaning ‘Canter’ in Arabic, is an initiative launched by Qatar Olympic Committee President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani.
The series, which carries a total prize money of QR1 million, is open for Qatari nationals and also to residents of Qatar. The 12-leg event is being conducted jointly by Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) and Al Shaqab and will run until April 2018.
Organisers aim to improve the standard of horse riding among Qatari youths through Hathab, while also encouraging the involvement of private stables and individual horse owners to increase awareness of horsemanship as part of Qatar’s history and tradition. Results of the competition will be used in the selection process of riders to represent Qatar in future international competitions. Each leg will carry points, with only top seven results to be counted, and an overall winner to be declared at the end of series.
Qatar to participate in Poland International Boxing tournament
The Qatari boxing team is taking part in the Polish Feliks Stamm tournament, which be held till March 17. Five Qatari boxers will be in action as they prepare for the upcoming major competitions. President of Qatar Boxing Federation (QBF) Yusuf al-Kazim said that the aim of participating in Poland is to gain experience for boxers as they will up against Cuban, Russian and Ukrainian opponents.
He noted that the Polish tournament is one of the best tournaments because it brings together a mix of the best countries in the world in the game in Asia, Europe, and South America. The QBF President expressed hope that the players will achieve good results in the tournament so that they will be motivated before competing in the Arab championship scheduled in Sudan from April 2 to 8.
Al-Kazim said that the national team is preparing for many important championships, most notably the Asian Games scheduled in Indonesia in August, as well as the Asian Youth Championship in Thailand at the end of April, qualifiers for the Youth Olympics in Argentina in September.
