(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
Khalid bin Hamad Al Attiyah, the President of the Qatar Taekwondo, Judo and Karate Federation (QTJKF) and President of the Arab Judo Federation, has affirmed the federation's endeavour to host an exceptional edition of the World Judo Championships for the first time in Doha from May 7 to 14.
The World Judo Championships - Doha 2023 Individuals will see the participation of more than 700 judokas representing more than 100 countries.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Attiyah said preparations are continuing to host an exceptional edition of the World Judo Championships.
He added that the event will be added to the great successes achieved by Qatar in hosting major sports tournaments, the latest of which was the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, thanks to the unlimited support of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as well as the continuous support by the President of Qatar Olympic Committee H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani.
He said that Doha's success in hosting the Masters Championship 2021 and the Arab Judo Championship 2023 is an indication of its success in hosting the next edition of the World Championship.
Doha presented a highly successful version of the Masters Judo Championship 2021 at the Lusail Hall, with the participation of 400 athletes representing 70 countries, during which Qatar's organisation won great praise from the International Judo Federation and the Asian Federation as well as from all the delegations participated in the competitions.
"As part of preparations to host the Doha 2023, the organising committee recently supervised the hosting of the Arab Judo championships from March 1 to 4 at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, where the World Championships will be held next month," Al Attiyah said, indicating that this Arena has previously hosted World Championships in handball and boxing.
Al Attiyah pointed out that the Arab championship was a real rehearsal and the best preparation for hosting next month's showpiece event.
Al Attiyah also noted that the organising committee of the World Judo Championship recently launched ticket sales via judodoha2023.com/ar
Regarding the possibility of Qatari players qualifying in the sports of judo, taekwondo and karate for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Al Attiyah expected that Qatari players will be able to reserve qualification cards for the 2024 Games.
He noted that Doha will host in October the Qatar Open Taekwondo Championship, a tournament that qualifies for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Doha is also preparing to host the Qatar Open Karate Championship in 2024, he added.
"By hosting the tournament, they seek to strengthen Doha's position as the capital of world sports and benefit from the great sporting heritage and accumulated experiences that Doha has gathered by hosting a large number of major international tournaments every year," Al Attiyah said.