سمو الأمير يتلقى التعازي من رئيس الفيفا

استقبل حضرة صاحب السمو الشيخ تميم بن حمد آل ثاني أمير البلاد المفدى، سعادة السيد جياني إنفانتينو رئيس الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم «الفيفا»، الذي قدم التعازي لسموه «حفظه الله» في وفاة المغفور له بإذن الله صاحب السمو الأمير الوالد الشيخ حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني، وذلك في قصر لوسيل مساء أمس.
وكان في الاستقبال أيضا سمو الشيخ عبدالله بن حمد آل ثاني نائب الأمير، وسمو الشيخ جاسم بن حمد آل ثاني الممثل الشخصي للأمير، ومعالي الشيخ محمد بن عبدالرحمن بن جاسم آل ثاني رئيس مجلس الوزراء وزير الخارجية، وعدد من أصحاب السعادة أنجال المغفور له سمو الأمير الوالد وأصحاب السعادة الشيوخ.

Tokyo: Indian badminton star Pusarla Venkata Sindhu said Wednesday that "everybody is beatable" as she targets a medal at the world championships on home soil in New Delhi next month. noplasticplease.life

Sindhu won the world title in 2019 and also captured Olympic silver in Rio in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo five years later.

The 31-year-old is a massive star in her home country and will be the focus of attention at the world championships from August 17 to 23.

She told AFP in Tokyo, where she is playing at the Japan Open, that she expects to be in the mix for a medal.

الأخباربين القادمين والراحلين.. تغييرات واسعة في قوائم الأنديةمع اقتراب انطلاقة منافسات دوري نجوم بنك الدوحة للموسم الرياضي 2026- 2027، والمقررة في 20 أغسطس الجاري، رفعت الأندية درجة استعداداتها للموسم الجديد، وسط حركة واسعة في قوائم اللاع...فتح →

"Right now, with the game I'm playing, I think I just need to do a little bit of small tweaks and stick to my game plan, irrespective of who the other player is," said the world number 10.

"Just keep fighting for every point. I feel that everybody is beatable."

Sindhu arrives in Tokyo after reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open last month.

Her last title came in December 2024 at the Syed Modi India International in Lucknow.

She believes playing at home will help her again at the world championships.

"There will be pressure, I will not deny that, but at the same time it's a kind of confidence when you play in your home court," she said.

"I think it's really good and I feel confident having it in our country."

Sindhu is not the only Indian player in contention for a medal next month.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are number four in the men's doubles world rankings, while Lakshya Sen is number 14 in men's singles.

"In India, I think after cricket, badminton is the next big sport," said Sindhu.

"In the last few years it's become a lot more, and we have a lot of athletes who are doing really well.

"It is quite popular and I feel that there will be a lot of crowds supporting India this time."

The last time the world championships were held in India was in 2009 in Hyderabad, Sindhu's home city.

She is hoping her country makes the most of the opportunity.

"For the youngsters, it will be a good thing to see top athletes who are coming to Delhi and playing at the top level," she said.

"It's a very good experience for the youngsters to see and learn a lot more."

Tokyo: Two badminton veterans enjoyed 16 minutes of fame at the Japan Open on Wednesday when they appeared in the main draw of a high-level tournament after a lifetime of trying.

Fifty-year-old Kar Lung Chun and his 40-year-old partner Karen Yun Qiao Feng were drafted in to compete in the mixed doubles in Tokyo after a slew of withdrawals.

The pair, who represent England, had never competed together and have spent their careers slogging it out in badminton's lower-level tournaments.

Chun has won only five matches in his international career, while Feng's sole victory came in a walkover.

They were no match for their opponents at the Japan Open, losing 21-2, 21-6 to Denmark's European champions Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje in just over a quarter of an hour.

Chun said it was "an amazing experience" to play in a Super 750 tournament -- the second-highest level on badminton's world tour.

"We couldn't sleep well when we learned we could make the main draw," said the bespectacled Chun, who was born in Hong Kong and lives in Liverpool.

"This is such a big tournament. We feel so happy."

Both Chun and Feng devote themselves full-time to badminton and do not have other jobs.

But their lives are very different from the sport's top stars such as South Korea's women's number one An Se-young.

Feng said she and Chun did not expect to win any games in Tokyo and that she entered the competition "to challenge myself".

"It was a dream to try this kind of level," she said.

Chun said he plans which tournaments to enter each year when the calendar comes out at the start of a season.

Even though success has proven difficult to come by, he says staying motivated is not a problem.

"You have to always talk to yourself - 'you can make it, you can make it'," he said.

"If you don't give up, anything can happen. Now we've proved that."

Doha, Qatar: Qatar produced a strong second-half comeback to defeat hosts India 65-56 in the opening game of the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027 Asian Qualifiers in Ahmedabad yesterday.

The victory gave Qatar a valuable start in Group D, which also features Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

India made the brighter start, taking the opening quarter 12-7 before extending their advantage with an 18-15 second-quarter effort to lead at halftime.

Qatar turned the contest around after the break with an impressive display on both ends of the court. They outscored India 20-14 in the third quarter to cut the deficit before dominating the final period 23-12 to complete a deserved nine-point victory.

Qatar’s Abdulrahman Saad was the game’s top scorer with 24 points, while Pranav Prince led India with 13 points. With this result, Qatar raised its tally to 8 points, while India remained at 5 points, having lost all five of its group matches without a single victory. This was Qatar’s second triumph over India, following their earlier 99-73 win in Doha during the third round.

Qatar had opened its qualifying campaign with a narrow 75-74 loss to Lebanon in Doha, before bouncing back with a crucial 86-83 away win against Lebanon. In their previous outing, Qatar fell to Saudi Arabia 80-86 in Doha.

The team now gears up to continue its qualifying journey, traveling to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for an away clash against Saudi Arabia on July 5. The Qatari delegation is led by Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) Secretary General and Director of National Teams Saadoun Sabah Al‑Kuwari, assisted by Team Manager Jassim Ibrahim Ashkanani and Assistant Manager Nabil Jumaa. The squad is coached by Turkish head coach Hakan Demir, supported by assistants Cengiz Karadağ, Miroje Mimetich, and Abdou Sow, with Mohamed Vural overseeing fitness preparation. The medical staff includes Dr. Adel Harmiyeh, Dr. Adel Salim, and Nikasio Sagaino.

Qatar’s roster features 12 players: Abdulrahman Saad, Mostafa Fouda, Omar Saad, Zeineddine Badr, Mohamed Hashem, Mostafa Nado, Babacar Dieng, Ousmane Dieng, Aladji Bobo Magassa, Alen Hadzibegovic, Donte Grantham, and Mahmoud Darwish.

Qatar, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia have already secured qualification to the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup Qatar 2027.