Doha hosts West Asia Beach Volleyball opener

Doha, Qatar: Doha is set to host the opening round of the West Asia Beach Volleyball Championship for men and women, from May 7 to May 10, with 19 teams from seven Arab countries taking part.

The countries participating in this round include Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, in addition to the host nation, Qatar.

A total of 11 men’s teams and 8 women’s teams will compete, with expectations of strong competition due to the closely matched skill levels of the teams.

The tournament will begin with a preliminary round held in a round-robin format, followed by knockout stages leading to the final match.

Teams will be seeded based on the official rankings and points approved by the sport’s governing body, with a draw taking place if teams are tied on points or if some teams do not have an official ranking.

Qatar will field three teams in the men’s competition: Qatar 1, featuring Mahmoud Essam and Saifuddin Al Majeed; Qatar 2, featuring Mehdi Samoud and Abdullah Naseem; and Qatar 3, featuring Mohamed Al Sharshani and Mohamed Ihab.

For the women’s competition, Qatar will also have three teams: Qatar 1, with Haya Abu Issa and Malak Hashem; Qatar 2, with Ladan Issa and Aisha Al Alawi; and Qatar 3, with Lujain Mahmoud and Sarah Jabbar.