Sports events in Qatar are gathering steam as country’s popular showjumping competition – the Longines Hathab Tour returned to action at the weekend, a fortnight after the resumption of the QNB Stars League (QSL). Longines Hathab Tour is the second major competition to return after the coronavirus pandemic brought the sports action in Qatar to a halt almost five months ago. The event, which is in its third season, is an initiative of H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), and is aimed at improving the standard of horse riding among Qatari youth.
On Saturday, the Round 10 of the third edition was concluded successfully with Qatar Equestrian Federation hopeful of completing the season, which is offering QR1m in total prize money. The local organising committee deserves the applause for its tireless efforts in bringing the equestrian action back. The proceedings of the round were held by rigidly following the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) safety advisory. The officials of the Qatar Red Crescent Society were also present during the round.
Simultaneously, the third QSL round since its resumption on July 24 featuring mouth-watering matches, was also completed in a befitting manner at the weekend. The football authorities are not just ensuring the safety of all stakeholders during these QSL matches by following the MOPH guidelines, but they are also taking indiscriminate action against those who are not adhering to the protocols.
Recently, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) imposed fines on several officials and top flight players including Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez and national football star Abdelkarim Hassan for non-compliance of MOPH’s safety protocols. Xavi was warned and was handed a QR 10,000 fine while Hassan also faced the same punishment.
In a nut shell, Qatar is marching towards the return of the full-fledged action because of effective policies by the sports authorities with the help of the MOPH. A sharp decline in the COVID-19 cases has also helped them in keeping their plans intact.
More events in other disciplines are also expected in the coming weeks as the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) also announced to resume the season. The other sports bodies of the country are also gearing up for action as the Qatar Volleyball Association’s season is scheduled to resume on September 10.
Plenty of sports action is definitely on the cards in the near future but all the stakeholders must not forget that the war against the pandemic is not completely over, and every body must play safe until it comes to an end.
