Manama: The 3rd Asian Youth Games will officially kick off in Bahrain on Wednesday, featuring 67 Qatari male and female athletes competing in 16 sports.
According to Qatar News Agency, these sports include Athletics, Badminton, 3x3 Basketball, Equestrian (Showjumping), Golf, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Cycling, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Triathlon, Wrestling, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, and Boxing.
Qatar's women athletes will compete in four sports: Athletics, Badminton, Volleyball, and Beach Volleyball. The Qatar men's volleyball team will launch Qatar's participation by facing China on Sunday, within the competitions of Group B, which also includes Iran. Qatar's squad includes Ahmed Talib, Dahami Al Ruwaili, Ghanem Al Basti, Khalid Abdullah, Tamim Al Awad, Hamad Ibrahim, Mazen Belorossi, Abdullah Al Sheiba, Omar Awamleh, Badr Al Zanari, Abdulrahman Ali, and Nawaf Al Shammari.
Volleyball competitions comprise 12 teams playing in four groups: Group A includes Bahrain, Pakistan, and Mongolia; Group B features Qatar, Iran, and China; Group C has Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia; and Group D consists of Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and Indonesia. The Qatar women's volleyball team will also begin their campaign tomorrow, facing Iran in Group A, which also includes Bahrain. The women's team consists of Hana Al Khater, Marwa Abdulaziz, Fatima Touzri, Tasneem Ali, Lamees Al Salman, Fatima Mahrez, Walden Al Waleed, Bina Ibrahim, Lujain Mahmoud, Dana Saber, Al Mayassa Diab, Aisha Al Alawi, and Maryam Mouhoub.
Qatar's beach volleyball delegation arrived in Bahrain today, comprising duo Ahmed Zyad and Musa Alkeer and the duo of Celine Mahmoud and Suwar Al Asal. Commenting on this participation, Head of the Qatari volleyball delegation Saeed Juma Al Hitmi said that this is an important step in developing this generation of players.
Al Hitmi noted that the national team is playing in a challenging group made up of Asia's champions, China, and World champions, Iran, presenting Qatar with a significant challenge. The head of the Qatari volleyball delegation said that this, however, serves as an opportunity for valuable exposure and experience and hoped that the delegation properly represents Qatari volleyball and showcases the potential of Qatar's young athletes.
Al Hitmi added that the main objective of this participation is to show Qatari volleyball's progress and competitiveness, expressing full confidence in his athletes and their readiness. Comprising 26 sports, the 3rd Asian Youth Games will see more than 5,000 athletes from 45 Asian National Olympic Committees compete in 253 events. The Games serve as qualifiers for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.