(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Fawad Hussain I The Peninsula
DOHA: Top continental teams will descend on Doha next week, eyeing top honours in the seventh edition of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Aspire Beach Volleyball Qatar Master to be played at Aspire Park.
The Organising Committee of the event, which is jointly organised by the Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA), the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF), has received confirmation from 16 teams for the competition set to take place from November 27 to 30.
'We are looking forward to deliver another successful event, Mohammed Mubarak Al Kuwari, Chairman of the Organising Committee told a press conference at Torch Hotel, yesterday.
'Doha has become one of the main regional and global sports hubs and that with AZF at its heart, the city is embracing all types of sports events, he added.
'The four-day championship will welcome a wide range of fans and sports enthusiasts due to its location at Aspire Park in line with our objective to encourage individuals to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle, said Al Kuwari before appreciating sponsors - Sports Corner (Main sponsor), Ooredoo (Telecommunication sponsor), De Boer (Technical sponsors), and Kidzania (Event partner) for their support.
Mohammed Salem Al Kuwari, General Coordinator of the Championship at QVA; Nasser Abdullah Al Hajri, Member of the OC and the Director of PR and Communications at AZF; and Nasser Ahmed Al Meer, captain of the Qatar national team were also present during the press conference.
The tournament is set to witness thrilling games as teams will be looking to score maximum points as they are eyeing World Championships qualification, with just four berths available for Asian teams.
Two teams each from Australia, Iran, Japan, Oman, Kazakhstan, and Thailand while one New Zealand outfit have confirmed their participation. The organisers are expecting a rise in number of participating teams.
Hosts Qatar, who will be defending their title, will field three teams in the home contest. Qatar's top duo of Ahmed Tijan Janko and Cherif Younousse will start among the favourites as they have shown good form during their title triumph in Asian Beach Volleyball Championship in Satun, Thailand last September.
Qatar 2 will be led by Al Meer, who will partner with Hamad Al Kuwari while Qatar 3 comprises Assam Mahmoud and Tamer Abdelrasoul.
'We are well prepared but it is going to be a tough challenge, Al Meer said yesterday.
'Teams from Australia, Kazakhstan and Iran are very good. I have good experience of partnering with Hamad (Al Kuwari) and we are looking forward to a good show.
Meanwhile, Salem extended his utmost appreciation and gratitude to AZF for their ongoing efforts and cooperation in organising a global event ‘that reflects AZF's readiness to work with other sports federations in Qatar'.
He said: 'The Aspire Beach Volleyball championship is set up as a preparation phase to train Qatari teams for future tournaments, including the upcoming World Championship in Hamburg, Germany, and to obtain extra points in the rankings. The Qatari beach volleyball team has advanced in the Asian rankings, attaining the 1st place and is ranked 10th in the world.
'We will continue to host tournaments like these to rise in the world rankings of this year while achieving medals in international and continental championships, which stems from Qatar Olympic Committee's vision under the leadership of His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Al Thani to train athletes to reach their highest performance level and to bring home the gold. he added.
The organisers, who are making special arrangements for the event, are expecting a turnout of over 12,000 fans during the event.
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