Arab Games Review: Qatar's Medals' Haul Improves by 63.63%

Doha, December 24 (QNA) - Qatar's overall medals total of 110 at the end of the 12th Arab Games here Friday is an increase by 63.63 per cent over its total of 40 achieved at the 11th edition of the Games hosted by Cairo in 2007. Qatar's men and women athletes excelled during the games, particularly in athletics, swimming, equestrianism, basketball and shooting. They topped the medals table winning 21 medals including eight gold, ten silver and three bronze. Backed by home fans, Qatari athletes raised their individual performance in unprecedented levels in the history of the games and finished fourth in the final rankings, two places better than their effort in the 2007 Arab Games. The overall medals' tally also swelled by the impressive performances of Qatar's women in individual as well team events which helped them win a record 32 medals including 12 gold. Qatari women athletes won 10 gold and an equal number of silver medals, besides 12 bronze. The star women performers for the hosts were gymnast Shaden Wahdan and shooter Bahya Mansoor Al Hamad, who both finished with five medals each. Sixteen-year-old Wahdan was the toast of Qatar as she became its most successful woman artistic gymnast at the Arab Games. She won two gold medals in beam and floor contests, before clinching silver medals in individual all-around and vault, and bronze in uneven bars. Al Bahya won three gold s and two silver. The combined efforts of the athletes, coaches and officials worked well towards the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) management's goal of finishing the Games with a higher position. The hosts finished fourth on the medals table with 32 gold, 38 silver and 40 bronze for a total of 110 medals. The excellence of Qatari men and women athletes can be assuaged from the fact that they won over 100 medals in the 12th edition of the Games, while all previous Games combined together produced only 112 medals (33 gold, 34 silver and 45 bronze). This reaffirms QOC's sports development programmes are focused towards winning medals and not just participating to make up the numbers. Clear leaders through the history of Arab Games have been Egypt winning the maximum number of medals adding up to a total of 985 followed by Morocco and Syria with 589 and 692 medals respectively. Egypt and Tunisia retained their first and second position rankings achieved in the 11th edition of the Games in 2007. Although Egypt topped the table once again, their total medals tally dropped to 233 (90 gold, 76 silver and 67 bronze) from 337 (148 gold, 100 silver and 89 bronze) achieved at the 11th edition of the Games hosted by Cairo in 2007. The Games will also be remembered for the brilliance of Tunisian swimmer Oussama Mellouli who became the icon of the Games. Not only did the Tunisian sensation dominate the swimming competition and topped the achievements of all athletes competing here, grabbing 15 gold medals and one silver, but he did it in style and with a lot of enthusiasm and emotion. The Olympic and world champion might have won 18 medals but he was disqualified in the 100m breaststroke, dropped out from the 50m backstroke and saw countryman Ahmed Mathlouthi finish second in the 4x100m medley, in which Egypt outraced Tunisia by only three-tenths of a second. He missed the final flourish by a whisker. The 27-year-old, who was named Athlete of the 2011 Arab Games, made the biggest splash ever in an international swimming event. To achieve his medal haul Mellouli competed in 30 races - 25 in individual disciplines and 5 relays, swimming a total of six kilometers. He cemented Tunisia into second in the overall medal tally, behind Egypt, and was the key factor in them dominating the swimming tally with 40 medals, including 17 golds, 12 silvers and 11 bronzes. Despite Mellouli's heroics, Tunisa's overall medals haul dipped marginally from 145 (63, 33, 49) in 2007 to 138 (54, 45, 39) in 2011. Like Qatar, Morocco too had a successful campaign winning 35 gold, 24 silver and 54 bronze medals to finish third on the table with a total of 113 medals. Morocco's surge was propelled by its boxers who took the lead in the boxing medal table winning four gold medals ahead of Tunisia and Jordan who won two medals each while Iraq and Egypt clinched one gold each. This is a significant improvement by Morocco over its fourth place finish four years ago in Cairo where the country won 21, 32, 36 for a total 89 medals. A total of 21 teams participated in the 12th edition with Syria being a notable absentee. From the 21 participating countries Mauritania, Somalia and Comoros failed win a medal. Sports development programmes are in nascent stages in these countries due to various reasons. Comoros is a politically and economically emerging country. Somalia is dealing with internal issues, drought and famine while Mauritania, one of Africa's newest oil producers, has priority for economic development currently. Speaking at the Arab Games' closing ceremony at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium of Al-Sadd Sports Club, 12th Arab Games Organising Committee Chairman and QOC Secretary General Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani thanked HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for their commitment and strong support to the youth and sports in Qatar and the Arab world. Sheikh Saoud said he was deeply satisfied with the performances of Arab athletes in the prestigious event and he praised the Arab spirit as well as the sportsman's spirit and fair play demonstrated in abundance during the competition. The success of the 12th edition of Arab Games can also be quantitatively seen in the high number of athletes passing the qualifying standards to win berths in the London 2012 Olympics. The 17 athletes and swimmers who qualified for London Olympics are mentioned below:- Athletics: 400 meters: Yousif Masrahi, Saudi Arabia (45.44 seconds); Ahmed Al Murjaibi, Sultanate of Oman (45.84 secs); Rabah Yousif, Sudan (45.87 secs). 800m: Musab Abdulrahman Belah, Qatar (1.45.92 min). 110m hurdles: Ahmed Khader Al Mualad, KSA (13.60 secs). 1,500m: Hassan Ayanlah, Djibouti (3.34.32 min), Hamza Drouich, Qatar (3.34.43 min); Mohammed Al Qarni, Qatar (3.34.61 min). High jump: Mutaz Barshem, Qatar (2.30m). Swimming (direct qualification): 100m breaststroke: Sara El Bakri, Morocco (1.08.42 min). 100m butterfly: Yousif El Askari, Kuwait (54.00 secs). 200m medley: Oussama Al Mellouli, Tunisia (1.59.99 min). 400m medley: Oussama Al Mellouli, Tunisia (4.15.94 secs). Following are the qualified champions in the respective events, subject to ratification from the international swimming federation. Men: Oussama Al-Mellouli, Tunisia 100m and 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle and 1,500m freestyle. Yousif El Askari, Kuwait 100m butterfly. Tuqa Mubarak, Tunisia, 400m medley. Wasim Oloumi, Tunisia, 100m breaststroke. Women: Farida Osman,, Egypt, 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly. Sara El Bakri, Morocco, 200m breaststroke 400m medley, 800m freestyle. Katya Bachrouche, Lebanon, 200m medley, 400m and 800m freestyle. All of the above clearly endorses the verdict that the 12th Arab Games hosted by Qatar was a grand success. Lebanon will be the host nation for the next edition of the Arab Games in 2015. (QNA)