Qatar Sport

Doha, Qatar:The MENA Karting Championship Nations Cup 2025 organized by Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) concluded an exciting day two at the Lusail Karting Circuit. The championship welcomed 173 drivers from 18 nations and featured races in different age groups, bringing together a diverse set of talent from the Middle East and North Africa. Spectators enjoyed free access to six karting categories and the vibrant Fan Zone, which offered numerous engaging activities between races. Day two of the championship featured a qualifying session followed by three Heats. These qualifying sessions began with the Micro Max category (8 - 11 years) followed by Mini Max (10 - 13 years), Junior Max (12 - 15 years), Senior Max (14+ years) and finally DD2 (15+ years), DD2 Masters (31+ years), R390 Sprint (ages 15+) and R390 Endurance (ages 15+). Following the qualifying sessions, drivers competed in three Heat sessions. These sessions allowed them to familiarize themselves with the track and formulate their strategies for the upcoming final races. The final classification for the races for each category are as follows: Micro Max: Isaac El Haouti from Morocco secured P1 with a time of 53.627 seconds, followed by Alex Moghabghab (Lebanon) with a time of 53.872 seconds, and Ayden Ouaich (Morocco) in P3 with a time of 54.028 seconds during the qualifying session. In Heat 1, Isaac El Haouti (Morocco) led the grid again, clocking 8 minutes 01.385 seconds, followed by Alex Moghabghab (Lebanon) with 8 minutes 02.987 seconds, and Abdulaziz Al Sarraf (Kuwait) with 8 minutes 03.039 seconds. In Heat 2, Isaac El Haouti (Morocco) led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 01.386 seconds, followed by Abdulaziz Al Sarraf (Kuwait) with 8 minutes 05.180 seconds, and Ayden Ouaich (Morocco) with 8 minutes 05.300 seconds. In Heat 3, Alex Moghabghab (Lebanon) led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 0.971 seconds, followed by Isaac El Haouti (Morocco) with 8 minutes 4.417 seconds, and Abdulaziz Al Sarraf (Kuwait) with 8 minutes 4.823 seconds. Mini Max: Atiqa Mir from UAE secured P1 with a time of 50.868 seconds, followed by Nahyl El Gahoudi (Morocco) with a time of 51.222 seconds, and Tammem Mustafa (KSA) in P3 with a time of 51.510 seconds during the qualifying session. In Heat 1, Atiqa Mir (UAE) led the grid again, clocking 8 minutes 30.232 seconds, followed by Nahyl El Gahoudi (Morocco) with 8 minutes 34.329 seconds, and Tammem Mustafa (KSA) with 8 minutes 37.698 seconds. In Heat 2, Atiqa Mir (UAE) once again led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 28.798 seconds, followed by Nahyl El Gahoudi (Morocco) with 8 minutes 31.196 seconds, and Tony Abou Jawdeh (Lebanon) with 8 minutes 31.536 seconds. In Heat 3, Atiqa Mir (UAE) continued her dominance by leading the grid, clocking 8 minutes 29.752 seconds, followed by Nahyl El Gahoudi (Morocco) with 8 minutes 32.100 seconds, and Tony Abou Jawdeh (Lebanon) with 8 minutes 32.705 seconds. Junior Max: Roslan Sryer from Algeria secured P1 with a time of 48.255 seconds, followed by Faris Haroun (UAE) with a time of 48.344 seconds, and Nathan Kappen (UAE) in P3 with a time of 48.363 seconds during the qualifying session. In Heat 1, Nathan Kappen (UAE) led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 58.183 seconds, followed by Roslan Sryer (Algeria) with 8 minutes 59.418 seconds, and Faris Haroun (UAE) with 8 minutes 59.906 seconds. In Heat 2, Roslan Sryer (Algeria) led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 56.037 seconds, followed by Faris Haroun (UAE) with 8 minutes 57.269 seconds, and Riyad Yousfi (Morocco) with 8 minutes 58.084 seconds. In Heat 3, Nathan Kappen (India) led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 55.909 seconds, followed by Roslan Sryer (Algeria) with 8 minutes 57.308 seconds, and Faris Haroun (UAE) with 8 minutes 59.192 seconds. Senior Max: Anis Tazi from Morocco secured P1 with a time of 48.039 seconds, followed by Sanad Al Hamawi (Jordan) with a time of 48.185 seconds, and Laith Mouminah (KSA) in P3 with a time of 48.190 seconds during the qualifying session. In Heat 1, Anis Tazi (Morocco) led the grid again, clocking 8 minutes 58.550 seconds, followed by Laith Mouminah (KSA) with 8 minutes 58.673 seconds, and Sanad Al Hamawi (Jordan) with 8 minutes 59.114 seconds. In Heat 2, Anis Tazi (Morocco) led the grid yet again, clocking 8 minutes 57.727 seconds, followed by Oscar Lambert (UAE) with 8 minutes 59.222 seconds, and Sanad Al Hamawi (Jordan) with 9 minutes 01.679 seconds. In Heat 3, Laith Mouminah (KSA) led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 59.160 seconds, followed by Anis Tazi (Morocco) with 8 minutes 59.327 seconds, and Tameem Hassiba (Qatar) with 8 minutes 59.689 seconds. DD2 and DD2 Masters: Edwin Khneisser from Lebanon secured P1 with a time of 47.703 seconds, followed by Taha Hassiba (Qatar) with a time of 47.706 seconds, and Faesal Yafei (Qatar) in P3 with a time of 47.738 seconds during the qualifying session. In Heat 1, Edwin Khneisser (Lebanon) led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 54.245 seconds, followed by Ghali El Fechtali (Morocco) with 8 minutes 54.870 seconds, and Faesal Yafei (Qatar) with 8 minutes 55.657 seconds. In Heat 2*, Edwin Khneisser (Lebanon) led the grid a third time, clocking 8 minutes 54.568 seconds, followed by Taha Hassiba (Qatar) with 8 minutes 56.513 seconds, and Ghali El Fechtali (Morocco) with 8 minutes 56.663 seconds. In Heat 3, Taha Hassiba (Qatar) led the grid, clocking 8 minutes 54.108 seconds, followed by Faesal Yafei (Qatar) with 8 minutes 54.568 seconds, and Souhil Khatal (Algeria) with 8 minutes 56.307 seconds. R390 Elite (Endurance Race): UAE Team 1 secured first place with a time of 2 hours 31.779 seconds, followed by Morocco Team 2 with a time of 2 hours 25.321 seconds, and Oman Team 2 in third place with a time of 2 hours 45.422 seconds. * Provisional results: May be subjected to change in accordance with the regulations.

Football

London: Ruben Amorim called for "calm" at Manchester United after last weekend's milestone win at Liverpool as he prepares for a tough test against Brighton. Harry Maguire's late header sealed a memorable 2-1 victory against United's bitter rivals -- their first Anfield triumph since 2016 securing back-to-back Premier League wins for Amorim for the first time. "We use the good spirit of winning games," the United boss told reporters on Friday. "We know that was a good weekend for us, but our focus is on the next game." The Portuguese stressed the fine margins involved, referring to a Cody Gakpo header that flashed wide in the closing minutes at Anfield. "If Gakpo shot 20 centimetres here, the narrative would be completely different," said Amorim, demonstrating with his hands how close the Premier League champions came to an equaliser. "So, I just want to maintain some calm, some direction in what we are doing, that's what I mean. "There are doubts if you are a manager in this kind of club -- you don't win a lot of games, people are going to doubt you. "My point of view is that we need to be clear on our path and not changing so much because we win one game." United are far from certain to maintain their revival against Brighton, who have six wins from eight matches in all competitions against the Red Devils, including three successive victories at Old Trafford. "They are a team that is really complete, and we need to be really smart, and to face that game with a real focus on everything that we do," said Amorim, whose ninth-placed team are one place and one point above the visitors. United captain Bruno Fernandes is expected to make his 300th appearance for the club on Saturday and Amorim said the midfielder had surprised him during their time working together. "It's a little bit different (from) what I was expecting," he said. "Everything you read about the players, sometimes it's not that. You can understand sometimes, and I already spoke about that. "The frustration that he feels is because he wants to help a lot, the teammates, sometimes it's not the best way, but it comes from a good place, and you don't know that when you are not here. "He wants the responsibility all the time. He suffered a lot with the losses. Every time we don't win a game, you can feel it that he takes it personally, as you should be, as a captain. He's a great leader, a great footballer."

Qatar Sport

Doha: The International Chess Federation (FIDE) praised Qatar’s sports facilities and venues, saying they enable the country to deliver a distinguished, exceptional edition of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships, to be hosted from December 25 to 31. FIDE also noted Doha’s success in staging many global events in recent years. This came during a FIDE delegation’s inspection visit to the Qatar University Sports and Events Complex to review preparations for the World Championships. The visit was attended by FIDE Executive Director Victor Bologan, Qatar Chess Association (QCA) President Mohammed Al Mudahka, and FIDE Chief Operating Officer Anton Zhuravlev. Bologan expressed confidence in Qatar’s ability to host the World Championships, citing the world-class facilities and high operational efficiency at Qatar University. He said these strengths will help Qatar deliver an outstanding edition of the event. He affirmed that Qatar has strong recent experience hosting world championships, which earned its bid significant trust within FIDE, in addition to the success of the 2016 edition held in Doha. Bologan added that the purpose of the visit was to assess Qatar’s readiness for the event and to discuss promotional and marketing plans for the championships. QCA President Al Mudahka said the visit included several coordination meetings covering arrangements to host an exceptional chess event. In remarks, Al Mudahka said talks are under way with FIDE to organize more than one event in the coming period as part of the championship’s promotion. He added that the venues for the World Championship finals have already been set: the Qatar University Sports and Events Complex, along with dedicated training halls, the main broadcast media center, and the official tournament hotels. He announced that the QCA is preparing domestic activities to promote Qatar’s hosting of the World Championships. Al Mudahka noted that Qatar University’s modern sports facilities and top-level infrastructure, as well as the ease of movement between the competition venue, amenities, and accommodation, will greatly help deliver a high-quality event for all participating stars. QCA Executive Director and Tournament Director Hamad Al-Tamimi said the organizing committee is close to completing all preparations, adding that ticket sales are being finalized and are expected to open in early November. Al-Tamimi stressed that the World Championships will give young players the chance to watch elite stars and top-ranked competitors, encouraging the next generations to take up the sport, develop their skills, and aim for professional levels. He added that cooperation between the QCA and FIDE has been ongoing for a long time; Qatar previously hosted the World Championships in 2016. He noted that the visit concluded with agreement on plans for side events and special promotional programs for the championship, which will be announced later. Hammoud Al-Hajri, Head of Sports Facilities at Qatar University, said Qatar aims to deliver an exceptional edition of the World Rapid and Blitz. He noted that the FIDE delegation reviewed all tournament facilities and playing halls and expressed admiration for the venues. The championship, with a total prize fund of €1m, is expected to attract around 350 male and female players from among the world’s top ranks. It is worth noting that the World Rapid Championship, held in Doha for the first time in 2016, was won by Ukrainian Vasyl Ivanchuk, with 120 grandmasters and 36 women grandmasters taking part.