Qualifying events for two key tournaments - one to be held in Melbourne and the other in Tokyo - are part of the weekly sports calendar in Doha this week.
For the first time in the history of the Australian Open tennis tournament, the men’s qualifying event is being held out of Melbourne and Doha - the hosts of the 2030 Asian Games - is staging the four-day event at the Khalifa Tennis Complex. The Next Gen players on the men’s tour kicked off qualifying dreams to appear at next month’s Australian Open on Sunday.
Also in Doha, an Olympic Games qualifying event for world’s best judokas will start at Lusail Sports Hall from Monday. The three-day event will feature 320 athletes - 184 male and 136 female - from 63 countries who will be battling for spots at the Tokyo Olympic Games to held in the Japanese capital later this summer.
To complete the three-day judo spectacle, the International Judo Federation (IJF) and Qatar Taekwondo Judo and Karate Federation (QTJKF) have jointly set-up health protocols in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Interior to make sure the athletes, the backroom staff and those associated with the event remain COVID-19 free. Tournament Director Eid A Meraikhi confirmed all participants have undergone a PCR test after landing in Doha. Another test will be conducted prior to athletes gathering for the first-day’s action, it was confirmed.
A short 30-minute drive away from the Lusail Sports Hall, young guns in men’s tennis also have undergone similar safety and health protocols before taking to the courts for training or for matches at the Khalifa Tennis Complex. With the popular Qatar ExxonMobil Open moved from the early January slot to March, Doha’s iconic venue is helping out world tennis by hosting the four-day qualifiers. Not just the players, there’s an army of volunteers assisting the Local Organizing Committee with the smooth conduct of the tournament. Qatar Tennis Federation Board Member Karim Alami has confirmed that the four-day event is being overseen by 64 line umpires, 18 chair umpires and five management officials who have flown in from across the world.
These two high profile international sports events come just weeks after Doha hosted the month-long 2020 AFC Champions League matches for West Zone at 2022 FIFA World Cup venues. The month-long Nov-Dec event concluded with the AFC Champions League final that was played on Dec 19 at Al Janoub Stadium where Korean giants Ulsan Hyundai beat Iranian football powerhouse Persepolis to clinch Asian honours.
