Qatar Sport

Doha:Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Qatar HE Yun Hyunsoo and Ambassador of Japan to the State of Qatar HE Naoto Hisajima visited the ice rink at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, located at Al Sadd Sports Club, to review the facilities dedicated to ice sports. The visit came in response to an invitation from the Qatar Winter Sports Committee, as part of its ongoing efforts to develop and promote ice sports in the country and enhance their presence at both regional and international levels. The ambassadors were received by Hassan Hissam Al Hebabi, Secretary-General of the Committee, who accompanied them on a tour of the venue. The visit provided an overview of the rink’s capabilities, including its modern equipment and advanced infrastructure, reflecting Qatar’s progress in supporting various sports, including winter disciplines. During the visit, the two ambassadors took part in a friendly curling match alongside members and staff of their respective diplomatic missions, in an atmosphere marked by sportsmanship and reflecting the strong relations between their countries and the State of Qatar. The Qatar Winter Sports Committee exchanged commemorative gifts with the ambassadors in appreciation of their interest in ice sports, in the presence of the accompanying delegations, in a gesture that reflects mutual respect and cooperation. On this occasion, Hassan Hissam Al Hebabi expressed his appreciation to the ambassadors for their visit, noting that ice sports in Qatar are entering a phase of notable infrastructure expansion, which will further strengthen their standing and support the future development of winter sports. For his part, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome, praising the advanced standard of the ice rink and its modern facilities, and noting that it represents a model of developed sports infrastructure reflecting the comprehensive progress witnessed by the sports sector in Qatar. Meanwhile, the Ambassador of Japan commended the significant efforts made by the Qatar Winter Sports Committee, emphasizing that such initiatives reflect an ambitious strategic vision that contributes to strengthening Qatar’s position on the international sports stage, and praising the provision of specialized facilities to support and develop winter sports.

Qatar Sport

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation successfully organized Survival 1, the opening round of the 2026 Qatar Off Road Championship, in the challenging dunes of Sealine. The event featured a strong entry list of 42 competitors representing Qatar and several other nationalities, delivering an exciting and competitive start to the season. The demanding terrain tested both skill and endurance, producing intense competition across all classes. In Class 1, Ethan Lane secured first place with an outstanding performance and was also the Challenger category winner in his class. Alex Mcinnes finished in second place, followed by Michael Anderson in third. The Veteran Class victory went to Gregely Kis. In Class 2, Mansour Al Suwaidi claimed first place after a strong and consistent drive. Khalifa Al Bastaki secured second place and was also the Challenger category winner in his class, while Ali Al Marzouqi completed the podium in third position. The Veteran Class 2 was won by Mohammed Al Shamsi. At the conclusion of the event, trophies were presented to the winners by Amro Al Hamad, Executive Director of QMMF, alongside Pedro Al Meida, Clerk of the Course. The championship continues next week with Round 2 of the Qatar Off Road Championship, Baja 1 for cars and motorcycles, scheduled to take place on April 25, 2026.

Football

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd SC suffered a heartbreaking exit from the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite, going down 5-4 on penalties to Vissel Kobe after a pulsating 3-3 draw in the quarter-final at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah yesterday. Substitute Jean Patric scored the winning penalty for Michael Skibbe’s team after Claudinho had fired his attempt high over the bar in the third round of spot-kicks for the Qatari side. Rafa Mujica had given Roberto Mancini’s outfit a sixth minute lead and the Spaniard restored his side’s advantage in the 61st minute after seeing Yuya Osako level for the Japanese in the 24th minute. Roberto Firmino added a third for Al Sadd in the 65th minute but Yusuke Ideguchi’s strike with 16 minutes remaining gave Kobe hope and Yoshinori Muto’s header in the third minute of stoppage time took the game into an additional 30 minutes. Kobe will next face either defending champions Al Ahli Saudi FC from Saudi Arabia or Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim, who meet at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium today. The Qataris made a strong start despite having had only three days’ rest following their extra time exertions in their penalty shoot-out win over Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC in the Round of 16. Daiya Maekawa needed to be at his sharpest in the second minute, the Vissel Kobe goalkeeper throwing himself to his right to push Firmino’s strike from the edge of the area to safety in a flowing opening to the game. Muto thumped an ambitious effort from more than 30 yards over the Al Sadd crossbar two minutes later but by the sixth minute, the Qatari side had punished the Japanese outfit on the counterattack. Firmino’s backheel inside his own half found Claudinho and his first-time pass was shuttled forward to Akram Afif, who fed Mujica and his clinical finish from just inside the area found the bottom corner of Maekawa’s goal. By the 24th minute, Kobe had pulled level. Gotoku Sakai stormed down the right and delivered an inch-perfect cross onto the head of the unmarked Osako, who powered a header to the left of Meshaal Barsham that the Al Sadd goalkeeper could not keep out. Firmino failed to bend his attempt to restore Al Sadd’s lead into the top corner of Maekawa’s goal in the 34th minute while Osako headed against the crossbar seconds later as the action switched from one end of the pitch to the other. Sixteen minutes into the second half, Mujica put Al Sadd’s back in front with another fine finish. Claudinho clipped his pass into the penalty area from deep towards Firmino and the Brazilian improvised by chesting the ball into the path of Mujica, who swept his volley beyond Maekawa’s dive. Four minutes later another Al Sadd counterattack caught out the former J1 League champions. Afif’s long pass from inside his own half released Mujica and the former Las Palmas forward turned provider, delivering from the left into the path of Firmino and he slotted home his side-foot volley. Ideguchi pulled one back for Kobe with 16 minutes left when he was set up by substitute Jean Patric, the midfielder dragging his right foot shot into the bottom corner to give Michael Skibbe’s side hope. Afif should have snuffed that out with 10 minutes to go when he directed Firmino’s centre the wrong side of the target and Al Sadd were to rue that miss when Muto raced in at the near post to nod in Rikuto Hirose’s cross from the right. Maekawa denied Javairo Dilrosun with a flying save in the 102nd minute before pulling off a fine stop to keep out Afif’s strike a minute into the second period of extra time. The Japanese goalkeeper saved another goal-bound Dilrosun strike with five minutes left to take the quarter-final into a penalty shoot-out where Claudinho blazed his attempt over the bar to set up Jean Patric to fire the winner into the top corner.