Doha, December 28 (QNA) - During 2021, the State of Qatar continued its position as a leader in sports in the Middle East, and proved itself as the capital of Arab and international sports by hosting and organizing many tournaments and events that confirm day after day the global position that Doha has reached.

2021 witnessed further achievements and successes at all sports fields despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The State of Qatar has successfully hosted the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, which was held for the first time under the supervision of Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), during the period from Nov. 30 to Dec. 18.

HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani attended the closing ceremony of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 at Al Bayt Stadium and handed Algeria the Cup after it won the final match against Tunisia.

The Qatari National Team succeeded in winning the 3rd place after defeating Egypt 5-4 in penalties, which was held at 974 Stadium. Akrim Afif, the star of the Qatari team, won the bronze ball as the third best player in the tournament, which witnessed an unparalleled success and came as a real rehearsal before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Qatar also organized for the first time the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit.

The most prominent of Qatari achievements in 2021 were the achievements of the Qatar champions in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Qatari athletes obtained two gold medals and a bronze medal. Fares Ibrahim won the gold medal in the 96kg weightlifting competition after lifting 402kg. The second gold medal went to Mutaz Barshim in the high jump competition after he achieved a height of 2.37 meters to win the gold with the Italian champion Gianmarco Tamberi. The third medal came when the Qatari team, consisting of the duo Ahmed Tejan and Sherif Younis, won the bronze medal in the beach volleyball competition, which was the first Arab medal in a non-individual game in the history of the Olympics.

The champion Abdulrahman Abdulqadir also won the bronze medal for men's shot put F34 event at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, in a new achievement that reflects his capabilities after he previously won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Among the Qatari achievements for 2021, Qatar Olympic Committee won the National Olympic Committees' (NOC) Breakthrough Award by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). HE Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani received the award at the ANOC Awards 2021 held on the sidelines of the ANOC General Assembly in Crete, Greece on 24 October. The NOC Breakthrough Award is presented to the NOCs who won their first-ever Olympic medal or first-ever Olympic gold medal.

Qatari achievements continued in the World Weightlifting Championships hosted in the Uzbek capital Tashkent this December, when Qatari weightlifter Fares Ibrahim achieved two medals (gold and silver) in the 96 kg weight competition. Fares won the gold medal in the netter lift after he managed to lift a weight of 222 kg, taking first place. The silver medal was won by Fares in the group with a total weight of 394 kg (222 kg for the nitro and 172 kg for the snatch).

The Qatari Olympic football team qualified for the AFC U-23 Cup finals to be hosted by Uzbekistan next year, after drawing 1-1 with its Syrian counterpart at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, in the third and final round of Group A competitions, hosted by Qatar over five days from 25-31 October 2021.

Doha also hosted the CAF Super Cup match, which brought together the Egyptian club Al-Ahly, the champion of the African Champions League and the Moroccan Raja Club, the champion of the African Confederation Cup (Confederation of African Football). Al Ahly won the CAF Super Cup after defeating Raja of Morocco 6-5 in penalties.

As part of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 preparations, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Countdown Clock was unveiled in November 21 in a special celebration in Doha Corniche, marking one year left to the start of the tournament.

Qatar continued to achieve championships, as the Qatari swimming team won the title of age groups competitions at the 28th GCC Aquatics Championships that took place in Doha from 19 to 22 last August, after winning 52 medals (30 gold, 15 silver and 7 bronze).

The Qatari swimming team also won 30 medals, including 11 gold, 9 silver and 10 bronze, and achieved first place for the 16-18 years category, in the first Arab championship for age groups in the short course (25 meters), which was held in the UAE capital from 24 to 27 last October.

In October, the Qatar Swimming Association organized the third round of the Swimming World Cup 2021 in the short course (25 meters), which was held at Hamad Water Sports Complex and lasted for three days with the participation of a group of the world's most prominent swimmers.

In handball, Al Duhail Club won the 23rd Asian Championship for Mens Handball Champions League, which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 12 to 21 June after its victory in the final match against Kuwait with a score of 27/24.

The State of Qatar hosted with great success for the first time the Men's and Women's Padel Championship (Qatar 2021) in November with the participation of 16 teams. The Qatari team recorded its presence in this great international sports forum, along with 15 other teams, after it booked its qualification card and its participation in the Asian and African region.

Sports achievements followed by hosting the first main round of the Qatar Classic Squash Championship 2021, which was organized by the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF).

In the same context, Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation also organized on the courts of the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex the Qatar ExxonMobil Tennis Championship for men, one of the 250-point ATP tours and Qatar Total Women's Tennis, one of the WTA Tours. 

In terms of motorsports, Losail International Circuit topped the final calendar for the 2021 season of the MotoGP World Championship, which consists of 19 rounds, as the Grand Prix of Qatar was held from March 26 to 28, and the Doha Grand Prix was held from 2-4 April.

Successive achievements in motorsports followed, as Qatari driver Nasser Al Attiyah won the 2021 the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, after winning the 30th Abu Dhabi Desert Rally.

Qatar's Khalid Al Mohannadi also won the European Championship, the first round of the World Aquabike Championships hosted by Poland. Al Mohannadi maintained the lead in the junior category in the World Aquabike Championships, after coming fourth in the second round.

The Qatari championships continue, with the Qatari cyclist Saeed Al Sulaiti winning the Spanish CIV Open (SSP) 600 season after achieving first place in the sixth and final round, which was held over two days at the Jerez circuit in Spain.

Qatari Yousef Al Darwish finished sixth in the open category and third place in the Yamaha R6 Cup.

Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation hosted three major tournaments during September, beginning with the Asian Snooker Championship with the participation of more than 100 players representing about 30 countries. It also hosted the Six-Ball World Snooker Championship and the Gulf Combined Billiards and Snooker Championship.

The Qatar national futsal team succeeded in qualifying for the first time to the finals of the 2022 World Cup to be held in Russia from August 26 to September 11 next year.

At club level, Al-Arabi Volleyball Club team achieved the second place in the Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship, which was held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Qatar Equestrian made many achievements at the international and global level after many Qatari horses managed to win the most prominent races held throughout 2021 in Europe.

In addition to organizing more than 50 local races, most notably His Highness The Amir Sword Festival, Qatar Equestrian Federation also organized the His Highness The Amir Sword Festival for show jumping.

As for golf, Qatar Golf Association achieved many accomplishment with the participation of Qatari players in regional and continental tournaments, most notably the Qatari Ali Al Shahrani winning the Qatar Open Championship.

Aspire Zone Foundation was also able to enhance its leadership in the world of global sports through the efforts of its three members, Aspetar, Aspire Academy and Aspire Logistics. During the last period, Aspire Zone Foundation witnessed great progress thanks to its belief in Qatar Vision 2030 and through its future programs aimed at elevating it to new heights as a global leader in innovation and sports excellence.

As part of Qatars pioneering efforts in the sports fields, this year witnessed Doha hosting the Judo World Masters Championship from Jan.11-13, which included the best 36 players from the worlds top ranked players in each weight and witnessed the participation of 400 athlete, including 215 male athlete and 185 female athlete representing 70 countries. Qatar is also scheduled to host the 2023 Judo World Masters Championship, which qualifies for the 2024 Olympics.

In June, the Qatari Taekwondo team won 4 medals at the 24th Asian Championship, which was held in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, with the participation of 334 male and female players representing 17 countries.

The State of Qatar gained more achievements with Qatari shooter Rashid Saleh Hamad winning the bronze medal in February in the mixed skeet competition as part of the Arab Shooting Championship 2021, which was organized in Egypt with wide participation represented by 33 teams. Qatars Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah also claimed the bronze medal of men's skeet event in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in the Indian capital, New Delhi, in March. The Qatari shooting team achieved the silver medal at the team level, in the skeet competition in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

As part of the countrys sports achievements, Qatar hosted the Fencing Grand Prix 2021, during which the American player Gerek Meinhardt won the championship, which was organized by the Qatar Federation over three days, while the womens title went to the Russian Inna Derglazova, at the conclusion of the tournament, which witnessed the participation of 493 world champions and top ranked athletes from 51 countries.

The Qatar Table Tennis Association also hosted the competitions of the first edition of the combined Middle East Championship, organized in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Association (WTT), at the Lusail multi-use hall, with the participation of a group of world champions and top ranked players.

Doha also hosted the World Olympic Qualifiers, and the Asian Olympic Table Tennis Qualifiers for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, with the participation of a group of world champions and top ranked players. The world's stars were able to win 18 qualifying cards for the Tokyo Olympics.

Qatar ranked second in the Arab Table Tennis Championship in Jordan, after the players of the Qatari national table tennis team won 19 medals in team, singles and doubles competitions, including 4 gold medals to occupy second place in the overall standings.

Doha hosted the second edition of the WTT Star Contender Championship, organized by the Qatar Game Association in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Association (WTT), at Lusail Multipurpose Hall, with the participation of a group of world champions and top ranked players.

Qatar also organized the 25th edition of the Asian Table Tennis Championship for men and women, which qualifies for the World Championships in China 2022, which was hosted by the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) at Lusail Sports Hall, with the participation of 194 players representing 30 Asian countries. Qatar had won the honor of hosting the Asian Championship for the second time in a row in its history, after the 2000 edition, as the first Arab and Gulf country.

Within the framework of sports hosting in Qatar, Doha hosted the West Asian Rugby Championship, where the Qatari mens team won 3rd place in the tournament, which was held with the participation of Qatar (the tournament host), the UAE, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran and Syria. In the womens competitions, Qatar ranked second in the championship. Doha also hosted the final Asian qualifiers for the Cricket World Cup (Australia 2022) on Asian Town Cricket Stadium, with the participation of the teams of Qatar (the qualifiers host), along with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the Maldives. (QNA)