Qatar Sport

Doha, Qatar The Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships 2026 is currently underway in Tashkent yesterday and will run until August 14, with more than 300 weightlifters from 29 countries taking part. The opening ceremony at the Olympic City of Tashkent was attended by officials, sports figures and representatives of national and international federations. Mohammed Yousef Al Mana, First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and President of the Qatar, Arab, Asian and Afro-Asian Weightlifting Federations, stressed the importance of youth and junior championships in developing future champions and providing young athletes with valuable international experience. Earlier, Al Mana also chaired the Asian Weightlifting Federation Executive Office meeting at the Uzbek Ministry of Sports. It was attended by members of the executive office and leaders of the sports movement in Uzbekistan, headed by Uzbek Minister of Sports H E Adham Ikramov and Oybek Kasimov, Secretary General of the Uzbek National Olympic Committee. The meeting discussed the future of the sport, upcoming competitions and preparations for the 2027 Asian Champi onships in South Korea, which will form part of the qualification process for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. On the sidelines, Uzbek Minister of Sports H E Adham Ikramov awarded Al Mana the Ministry’s honorary medal, “Excellence in Physical Culture and Sports”, in recognition of his contribution to the development of weightlifting in Asia.

Football

Doha, Qatar: Al Shamal, last season’s Qatar Stars League (QSL) runners up, have signed Tunisia international Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane from Egyptian club Al Ahly, the club announced yesterday. The 21-year-old midfielder will join the team’s training sessions ahead of the new season, which kicks off on August 20. Ben Romdhane, standing at 1.85m, he began his senior career with Esperance de Tunis, making 93 appearances and scoring 19 goals between 2017 and 2023. He then moved to Hungarian club Ferencvaros, where he made 42 appearances and scored five goals before joining Egyptian giants in 2025. Ben Romdhane made 33 appearances across competitions last season, scoring two goals and helping the Egyptian club win the Egyptian Super Cup. He has also been a Tunisia international since 2019, earning 58 caps and scoring seven goals. His arrival adds further strength to an Al Shamal squad preparing for its historic AFC Champions League Elite debut. The club have also signed Frenchman Wesley Said, Uruguayan Federico Bais, Ibrahim Coulibaly, Mohamed Rabie Hrimat, Abdelkarim Hassan, goalkeeper Saoud Al Khater, Ali Asad, Ahmed Sayyar and Adel Badr. They join an experienced group led by Baghdad Bounedjah, Jeison Murillo, Alex Collado, Akram Tawfik, goalkeeper Babacar Seck, Michael Termanini and Mowafak Awad. Al Shamal are continuing their preparations with an intensive training camp in Mierlo, the Netherlands, under Spanish coach David Prats. The camp runs until August 6, with daily sessions focusing on physical, technical and tactical development. The team are also playing friendlies against Al Wasl of the UAE, Al Khaleej of Saudi Arabia, PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands, and Belgian clubs Genk and Crossing Schaerbeek. The European camp follows the first phase of preparations in Doha, with the coaching staff working on team cohesion, integrating the new signings and preparing for a demanding season. Read Also Lusail leads Qatar’s office growth with 4.5% rental gain Food Safety Department intensifies monitoring Al Shamal enjoyed an outstanding 2025-26 Doha Bank Stars League campaign, finishing second with 40 points from 12 wins, four draws and six defeats. They scored 39 goals and conceded 28 to secure their first-ever AFC Champions League Elite qualification.Their performances were also recognised at the Qatar Football Association Awards. Prats won the Best Coach award, while Bounedjah was shortlisted for Best Player and Mohamed Manai for Best Under-23 Player. Al Shamal will begin their 2026-27 Qatar Stars League campaign against Al Arabi at Al Thumama Stadium on August 21, aiming to build on last season’s success and compete strongly onboth domestic and continental fronts.

Qatar Sport

Doha, Qatar: Al Shamal, last season's Qatar Stars League runners-up, said Sunday that it had signed Tunisia international Mohamed Ali ben Romdhane from Egyptian club Al Ahly. In a statement, Al Shamal added that the Tunisian footballer had successfully passed his medical examination and is poised to join the team's training sessions ahead of the new season, which is set to kick off on Aug. 20 with the opening round of the Doha Bank Stars League. Romdhane, 21, joined Al Ahly in the summer of 2025 from Hungarian Ferencvarosi TC and made 33 appearances in various competitions during the 2025-26 season, scoring two goals and helping the team win the Egyptian Super Cup. The upcoming season is particularly significant for Al Shamal, which will make its historic debut in the AFC Champions League Elite. The club has already signed Frenchman Wesley Said, Uruguayan Federico Bais, and Ibrahim Coulibaly.