Asian champs Qatar back to heroes’ welcome

The Qatar beach handball team arrived to a rousing welcome in Doha after their exploits at the Asian Beach Games in Haiyang, China. Qatar defeated Bahrain 24-18 in the final of handball competition to win the gold at the prestigious event, the single medal helping them to finish ninth in the overall medal standings. Officials of the Qatar Handball Federation welcomed the players at the Doha International Airport yesterday, with president Mohamed al-Shaabi predicting more glory for the team in future. “Qatar’s gold medal in beach handball was a historic occasion for Qatar as we won the event for the first time,” al-Shaabi told reporters at the airport. “The team trained hard for the event and our efforts were rewarded. We hope it is the beginning of a new era for Qatar in handball,” he added. Qatar had beaten Pakistan in the semi-finals while Bahrain edged Oman to make the final. Al-Shaabi and other officials presented garlands to the Qatari players and training staff , who proudly displayed their gold medals. “We take this occasion to thank HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani for their efforts in promoting sports,” added al-Shaaibi. “This victory was possible because of all the help we receive from the Qatar Olympic Committee.” Qatar, however, failed to win any medal in the other competitions they took part, namely football, volleyball and aquatics. A total of 49 gold medals were at stake in 13 disciplines, namely sport climbing, beach kabaddi, basketball, volleyball, football, dragon boat racing, sepak takraw, woodball, wind surfing, roller skating, paragliding, roller skating and skiing. Thailand topped the medal tally, while China were second and Indonesia third. The next edition of the event will be held in Phuket, Thailand. The inaugural Asian Beach Games were held in Bali, Indonesia