Staff Reporter
Doha: Team Qatar continued its impressive run at the 4th GCC Games Doha 2026 yesterday, adding more gold medals across multiple disciplines as the hosts strengthened their position with commanding displays in shooting, table tennis, volleyball, padel and handball.
Qatar’s shooters once again stole the spotlight, maintaining their dominance at the ranges with additional gold medals in the mixed team events.
The duo of Abdullah Al Sunaidi and Al Maha Al Ali clinched gold in the mixed team 10m air rifle competition after defeating Oman’s Salem Al Nabi and Al Anoud Al Khalili in the final. The UAE pair of Fatima Al Suwaidi and Salem Al Yamahi settled for bronze.
Qatar’s dominance continued in the mixed skeet team event, where Rashid Saleh Al Athba and Reem Al Sharshani secured another gold medal for the hosts. Kuwait’s Saud Al Kandari and Afrah Al Mohammad took silver, while Bahrain’s Tamer Al Watae and Maryam Al Aasam claimed bronze.
Following a successful opening day in which Team Qatar collected nine medals, including three golds, the hosts have now raised their overall shooting tally to 11 medals, five gold, one silver and five bronze, underlining the extensive preparations undertaken ahead of the tournament.
In table tennis, Qatar added one gold and one bronze medal in the mixed doubles competitions held at the Lusail Arena.
The Qatari pair Mohammed Abdulwahab and Aya Mohammed won gold after defeating the UAE duo Ali Al Hawai and Noura Al Mazmi 3-0 in the final.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Abdulwahab and Mariam Ali secured bronze with a convincing 3-0 victory over Bahrain’s Rashid Khalid Sanad and Rayan Emad in the third-place playoff.
The competitions were attended by Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, Sheikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa and Hamad Ahmed Al Hammadi.
The table tennis programme concludes today with finals in the men’s and women’s singles and men’s doubles events. Qatar’s Aya Mohammed and Mariam Ali will face each other in the women’s singles final, while Mohammed Abdulwahab and Abdullah Abdulwahab will contest the men’s doubles final against Saudi Arabia’s Ali Al Khudrawi and Abdulaziz Boushalibi.
In billiards and snooker, Ali Al Obaidli claimed silver in the men’s 6-red snooker singles event after narrowly losing 3-4 to Kuwait’s Ammar Taqi in a thrilling final.
Team Qatar also enjoyed strong starts in the team sports competitions. The national volleyball team opened its campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over the UAE at Aspire Women’s Sports Hall. Qatar dominated throughout the contest, winning 25-17, 25-13 and 25-13 to underline its ambition of retaining the title.
In padel, Team Qatar’s men’s side defeated Saudi Arabia 3-0 in emphatic fashion under the Aspire Dome. The pairs of Rashed Nawaf and Mishari Nawaf, Khalid Saadoun and Issa Shanan, as well as Mohammed Saadoun and Hassan Wali all secured victories as Qatar began its title defence strongly.
Meanwhile, Team Qatar’s handball team moved to the top of the standings after cruising to a 34-19 win over Kuwait. The hosts dominated from the outset and held a comfortable 19-8 lead at halftime before completing their second consecutive victory of the tournament.
Qatar now lead the standings with four points following their earlier win over the UAE, while Bahrain and Saudi Arabia sit behind on two points each.
