Al Zaini crowns Al Sadd Amir Cup champions for seventh straight season, Al Rayyan runners-up and Al Khor shine in third

HE Abdullah Ahmed Al Zaini, president of the Qatar Athletics Federation, crowned Al Sadd Sports Club champions of the Amir Cup for athletics in the junior and men’s categories, at the conclusion of the championship, which was held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 30 April and continuing until 1-2 May, at Khalifa International Stadium. It was attended by HE Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, IAAF vice-president, Mr Adel Mohammed Al Baker, secretary-general, Mr Essa Abdullah Al Harmi, assistant secretary-general, Mr Yaqoub Yousef Abdullah, board member, and Mr Khalifa Abdulmalik, the federation’s executive director, along with the championship’s two technical observers, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Suleiman, board member, and Ms Mariam Abdullah Al Ishaq, board member. The championship was also attended by Mr Jassim Al Rumaihi, secretary-general of Al Sadd Sports Club, and Qatari champion Talal Mansour, head of Al Sadd’s administrative and technical staff, along with clubs’ administrative and technical athletics staff and a crowd of fans of the mother of sports.

 
Al Sadd took first place after leading the championship for two consecutive days, and on the third day Al Sadd’s players had their say and settled the Amir Cup with a total of 191 points, announcing to the Qatari clubs that the Amir Cup has belonged to Al Sadd for seven consecutive sporting seasons, an unprecedented achievement in Qatari club championships, and this prompts us to salute the club’s board of directors and Al Sadd’s administrative and technical staff. Runners-up Al Rayyan snatched second place after their players amassed 111 points over the course of the championship, while third place was a surprise, with Al Khor climbing above the Qatari clubs to take third with a total of 88 points after fierce competition with Al Gharafa that was settled in Al Khor’s favour in the final event, the 4x400m relay, with Al Gharafa taking fourth place, two points behind third-placed Al Khor, with a total of 86 points, while Al Arabi came fifth, Al Ahli sixth, Al Wakrah seventh and Qatar SC eighth.

At the end of the championship, HE Abdullah Ahmed Al Zaini, president of the Qatar Athletics Federation, board members, and Mr Jassim Al Rumaihi, secretary-general of Al Sadd Sports Club, crowned the winning players and clubs in the top three places amid applause and cheers from the spectators and the players of the winning clubs. Qatar TV and the Al Kass sports channels featured reports on the Amir Cup championship in their sports bulletins throughout the three days of the championship. With this championship, the Qatar Athletics Federation concluded its local sporting season for 2011-2012, marked by the breaking of numerous records and personal achievements. The federation’s local championships were joined by the national teams of Algeria and Palestine, preparing their squads for upcoming championships and for qualification for the London Olympics, while the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence took part externally in the

federation’s local championships. In preparation for upcoming commitments, Qatar’s women’s national team took part in all of the federation’s local championships. On 2 May, the curtain came down on the federation’s local championships; we congratulate the clubs that won the indoor and outdoor athletics championships and the cross-country titles, as well as the clubs at the athletics festivals for the hopefuls category, and we wish the clubs success in the coming sporting seasons… Below is the clubs’ standing and total points for the Amir Cup athletics championship