ABU DHABI:The Qatar team's success continued as they wonsevenmedals (three gold and four silver) on Friday in the competitions of the first Gulf Youth Games hosted by the UAE.The Games are held till Mat 2 under the slogan 'Our Gulf is One - Promising Youth', in 24 sports, with the participation of more than 3,500 male and female athletes.
The athletics team won five of the seven medals, three gold and two silver, while the chess team won two silver medals.
The three gold medals were won by Hamza Hashim in the long jump competition after achieving a new personal record of 6.97 metres, Abdullah Al Abdullah in the pole vault competition, and Hamad Dhawi Al-Sultan in the discus throw competition after he recorded a distance of 51.59 metres.
As for the four silver medals, they went to Rakan Al-Rashidi in the long jump competition after he recorded a record of 6.88 m, Younis Al-Balushi in the pole vault competition, and the under-18 chess team for young women, consisting of Rawda Al-Qasabi, Layan Al-Qasabi, and Fatima Al-Kuwari, and the under-14 team for the youth, consisting of Khaled Al-Jamaat, Hamad Al-Kuwari, and Ibrahim Al-Janahi.
With the medals on the fourth day of competition, the Qatar tally of medals in the first Gulf Youth Games rose to 14 various medals, including 6 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze.
For his part, Hamad Al Tamimi, Executive Director of the Qatar Chess Federation, stressed the importance of participating in the Gulf Youth Games, pointing out that such tournaments help these young age groups gain experience and encourage them to continue their journey.
Al Tamimi said, in a press statement, that the chess results were good, especially after the U-18 and 14-year-old girls’ teams won two silver medals, in addition to the U-18 youth team could have achieved a better result, but the male and female players still have an opportunity to do their best in individual blitz and rapid chess competitions.
He added that the participation and medals that the players receive encourage them and their families to continue their journey and achieve better results in the upcoming tournaments, whether Arab or Asian, especially since the players are still young and have a long journey ahead of them.
On a related note, the handball championship competitions within the first Gulf Youth Games will begin on Saturday, at the Al-Bataeh Cultural and Sports Club hall, with the participation of 6 Gulf teams, and it will be held in a single-round league system.
The Qatar national team will launch its campaign in the tournament by facing its Kuwaiti counterpart, while the Saudi national team will meet its Bahraini counterpart, and the UAE national team will meet its Omani counterpart.
The draw for the tournament was held on Friday, and following the draw, the organizing committee of the handball tournament held a technical meeting to approve the eligibility of the players in each team, where 18 players are registered for each team, and to approve the shirts worn by each team in the tournament.
As for the Qatar volleyball team, it will begin its tournament campaign on Saturday by facing its Saudi counterpart at the Al-Nasr Club hall in Dubai.
Six teams participate in the volleyball competitions. The tournament is held in a one-round league system, and the team with the most victories is crowned champion. In the event of a tie between more than one team, the points difference is used.
