Qatar Unveils Contingent For London Olympics

Doha, July 15 (QNA) - Flag-bearer Bahia Al Hamad will lead Qatar's 12-member sports contingent at the 30th edition of the Olympic Games in London starting July 27, the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) has announced. The officials in the delegation include Vice President of Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Saoud bin Ali Al Thani; Secretary General Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani; Director of Sport Affairs Department Khaleel Ibrahim Al Jaber; Head of Media section Hassan Abdullah Al Mohammadi, along with administrators, technicians and journalists. The Qatari contingent comprises ace shooter Nasser Al Attiyah (Skeet), Rashid Al Thaba (Trap/Double Trap), athlete Noor Al Malki (100m), Hamza Driouch and Mohammed Al Qarni (Men 1500m), Mohammed Bakheet (Marathon), Mutaz Barsham (High Jump), Musaab Abdulrahman Balah (Men 800m), Nada Wafa Arkaji and Ahmed Gheith Al Attari in the swimming freestyle, Bahia Al Hamad (shooting) and Aya Magdi (Table Tennis). The feature of this Qatari contingent is the presence of women participants who have been selected, not to make the numbers, but on the strength of their fine performances at the national, regional, Arab and Asian and international levels. Most would be looking to gain experience from competing at the Olympic level and advancing their skills. Speaking ahead of the Big Games, Qatar Women Sports Committee (QWSC) President said, "The QSWC is making intensive efforts to develop women's sport and to support their participation in all regional and international competitions." Sheikh Saoud reiterated that Qatar's participation in London Olympics is not limited to the Games, but it's an opportunity to bring people together and be a part of the cultural exchanges with people from different nations." Here below are the profiles of the 12 Qatari athletes:- Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah: Qatar's golden shooter is one of the country's famous athletes at the continental and international levels. He has represented his country at three Olympic Games in Skeet Shooting with a best finish of fourth at Athens, Greece in 2004. Rashid Al Athba: A prominent Qatari athlete in the Trap and Double Trap shooting disciplines. He comfortably booked his place in London 2012 Summer Olympic Games by finishing third overall in the Men s Trap event of the 12th Asian Shooting Championships held in January 2012 in Doha. Hamza Driouch: The Qatar's mid-distance runner is a promising athlete with a good record in athletics competitions. He won a silver medal in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games 2010 in Singapore. Mohammed Al Qarnii is a talented athlete and promising young sprinter in the Asian continent. Many experts predict a bright international future for Al Qarni. He won a bronze medal in the IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships 2010 in Canada. Mohammed Abdu Bakheet is known as 'the human train' due to his strength and high fighting spirit in the Marathon races. He also won a gold medal in the Asian Athletics Championships 2011. Mutaz Essa Barsham is an outstanding young Qatari athlete specialised in the high jump. He is the national record holder with a best mark of 2.37 meters. He was the Asian Indoor and World Junior champion in 2010. He won the high jump gold medals at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships. Musaab Abdelrahman is a talented young Qatari Athlete and gold medal holder in the Arab Games, 2011 Doha. He set the best personal record in 800m during the IAAF Diamond League 2011 in Doha, clocking (1.45.19). Ahmed Ghaith Al Attari is a promising young Qatari swimmer who has participated in several sport events at regional and Asian levels. He has had good regional exposure. Last year he won the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke in the 15-17 year category. Women: Bahiya Mansour Al Hamad is a 19-year-old college student and air-rifle shooter. Al Hamad was named by the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) as Best Female Athlete of the Year 2011-2012. She qualified to the first Youth Olympics Games in 2010 in Singapore, where she was the flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony. She will also be the flag-bearer in London 2012. Noor Al Malki although she has a bag of national and regional titles, the 17-year old Qatari sprinter, who was Qatar Association of Athletics Federation s (QAAF) Best Female Athlete in the 10- 11 season, will experience in London that there is a big competitive gap between the GCC level and the Olympics where one is up against the top athletes of the world. The 100 and 200 meters sprinter is ambitious and this learning experience will only empower her to go beyond her 100m personal best of 12.73 secs. Nada Mohammed Wafa: The 17-year-old Qatari swimmer will be aim to surpass her personal best mark of 30 seconds when she competes in the women's 50m freestyle. She faces tough competitors who are in a far superior league clocking around six seconds faster than the Qatari. Twentyone-year-old Dutch sensation Ranomi Kromowidjojo who recorded the fastest time in the world of 24.10 seconds in the event since the banning of high-tech swimsuits in 2009 is among the top favorites besides Great Britain's Fran Haslal (24.13 secs) and Sweden's Therese Alshammar (24.14 secs). There's also 45-year-old American veteran Dara Torres lurking in the background. Aya Majdi is a talented table tennis player who has won gold medals at both Arab and Gulf levels. She has received the Ideal Player Shield Award in the first Arab Table Tennis Championships. (END)