The curtain came down with great success on the Federation Cup athletics championship for the juniors, cadets and buds categories for the 2017 sporting season, which saw exciting competition among the promising club champions at Aspire Academy’s secondary field and track venue over the two days of 21-22 March
There was record participation from the athletes of the ten Qatari clubs taking part in the Qatar Athletics Federation’s activities.. namely Al Sadd, Al Rayyan, Qatar SC, Al Arabi, Al Jaish, Al Gharafa, Al Khor, Al Ahli, Al Wakrah, and Al Shamal.
Al Sadd top the juniors
Al Sadd’s juniors regained their winning form and topped the juniors category with (143) points, while Al Jaish’s improving side finished runners-up with (104) points, Al Arabi came third with (85) points, Al Ahli fourth with (75) points, Qatar SC fifth with (70) points, Al Khor sixth with (55) points, Al Gharafa seventh with (54) points, Al Rayyan eighth with (51) points, Al Wakrah ninth with (37) points, and Al Shamal tenth with (22) points.
Al Gharafa champions of the cadets
In the cadets category, Al Gharafa claimed first place with (139) points, Al Jaish finished runners-up with (125.5) points, while Al Khor came third with (75) points, Qatar SC came fourth with the same tally of (75) points, Al Sadd came fifth with (73.5), Al Arabi sixth with (58.5) points, Al Rayyan seventh with (45) points, Al Ahli eighth with (42.5) points, Al Shamal ninth with (29) points, and Al Wakrah tenth with (27) points.
Al Khor top the buds
In the buds category, Al Khor’s knights excelled and topped the standings with (69) points,
Al Jaish finished second with (66) points, while Al Rayyan came third with (60) points, Al Arabi came fourth with (51) points, Al Sadd came fifth with (48.5), Qatar SC sixth with (41) points, Al Ahli seventh with (37) points, Al Gharafa eighth with (32) points, Al Wakrah ninth with (21.5) points, and Al Shamal tenth with (8) points.
Talal and Al Marri crown the champions
After the competitions concluded, Talal Mansour, Assistant Secretary General and chairman of the technical committee, and Khalid Al Marri, board member and deputy chairman of the technical committee, presented the trophies and coloured medals to the winning teams and champions in the top places, and also taking part in crowning the winners were Thabit Sorour, the championship’s supervisor and head of Al Rayyan’s athletics department, and his deputy Saad Muftah, alongside a number of the teams’ technical directors.
Talal Mansour: a successful start for the participating teams
Talal Mansour, Assistant Secretary General of the Qatar Athletics Federation and chairman of the technical committee, congratulated the teams that topped the standings, as well as those that were not so fortunate in the top places, and said the Federation Cup had seen a successful start for the teams, even though it came at a tight time for the three categories, juniors, cadets and buds, and thank God everyone worked hard and put in a commendable effort to showcase their abilities and potential, noting that through organising its championships the federation seeks to enrich competition among the clubs, given that they are the sole feeder for the national teams, stressing that widening the scope of competition will bring positive returns and benefits for Qatar’s athletics, since the clubs are the true factory for discovering talent, and Talal concluded his remarks by once again congratulating the winning teams and all participants, wishing the rest good fortune in the upcoming field and track championships.
Sultan Al Dosari: the runner-up finish is a positive sign.
Captain Sultan Al Dosari, head of Al Jaish’s athletics department, praised his club’s teams in the juniors and cadets categories for finishing runners-up, and the buds for finishing third, stressing that everyone gave their best and put in good effort, and that these results are a positive sign of their progress and that they are on the right track towards building their base, noting that finishing runner-up against storied clubs means a great deal to them, and that they are determined to achieve their goals with God’s help and guidance, and Al Dosari concluded his remarks by congratulating the champions, coaches and administrators on these gains, wishing them further victories and success in the upcoming championships.
