Qatar's reputation as a major global force in sports was further enhanced in faraway Algeria over the weekend as the curtain fell on the Pan Arab Games 2023, with Team Qatar bagging a total of 22 medals at the competition.
The 11-day event, held from July 5 to 15 across five cities (Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Annaba, and Tipaza), featured around 3,500 athletes from 22 countries competing in 20 sports disciplines. About 115 athletes represented Qatar in Algeria, the 13th edition of the competition, with Team Qatar taking home 9 gold medals, 2 silver, and 11 bronze. Athletes secured 9 gold medals in handball, hurdles track, two in chess, pole jumping, discus throw event, fencing, 400-meter race, and the men’s foil team event. Meanwhile, 11 bronze medals were achieved in boxing, 3×3 basketball, volleyball, fencing, table tennis, hurdles track, shot put event, track, pommel horse competition, parallel event of gymnastics, 110-meter race, and handball, while two slivers were won in hammer throw and men’s high jump.
Qatar competed in several sports, including handball, volleyball, basketball, swimming, Triathlon, gymnastics, chess, fencing, sailing, boxing, Karate, judo, and badminton.
On the last day of the competition, Qatar’s handball team clinched the gold medal after defeating Saudi Arabia 37-24 in the final match held in Oran city’s main arena.
In chess, Grandmaster Zhu Chen pieced up her second consecutive gold medal in Algeria. The Chinese-born Qatari chess player excelled in the blitz chess event to clinch the win. In the men’s doubles table tennis event, Qatar’s Mohamed Abdulwahab and Ahmed Khalil claimed the bronze medal.
Following suit, Team Qatar received another medal when the men’s volleyball team defeated Jordan 3-1 to win the bronze medal. In the fencing games, Ali Al Athba won the gold medal, with Abdullah Khalifa winning the bronze medal in the same competition. Rakan Al Harith won the bronze medal in the pommel horse contests, and Salma Hamed won the bronze medal in the parallel gymnastics competition.
With the results, Team Qatar emerged eighth on the overall medal table, making Qatar the ninth most successful country in the competition's history with a total of 278 medals (86 gold, 80 silver, and 112 bronze). Aside from its participation in the Pan-Arab competition, the country has also had the privilege of hosting the Arab Games in 2011, the last time it was held before Algeria 2023, where it finished fourth. Team Qatar has over the years continued to write the name of the country in gold everywhere they are called to duty, and the Algeria outing is the latest commendable performance from the men and women in Maroon. Great kudos must be given to the sports administrators under the able leadership of H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, for their wonderful work in putting the team together.
