Manama, October 19 (QNA) - The Qatari youth volleyball team lost to China 3-1 in its first match of the 3rd Asian Youth Games 2025, which kicked off today in the Bahraini capital, Manama. The tournament will officially open on October 22 and continue until the 31st of the same month, with the participation of elite Asian teams in various sports.

The results of the four sets were 17-25, 25-20, 22-25, and 16-25.

The Qatari team will face Iran in its second match in Group B the day after tomorrow, Tuesday.

Eleven teams are participating in the volleyball competition, divided into four groups. The first group includes Bahrain, Pakistan, and Mongolia; the second group includes Qatar, Iran, and China; the third group includes Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia; and the fourth group includes Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and Indonesia.

In a related context, the beach volleyball competitions begin tomorrow, with the Qatari team, consisting of Ahmed Ziad and Musa Al Khair, starting their campaign against the Maldives. The girls' beach volleyball team, consisting of Celine Mahmoud and Siwar Al Asal, will also face Kazakhstan.

The 3rd Asian Youth Games, hosted by Bahrain, will feature 26 sports, with more than 5,000 players representing 45 Asian Olympic Committees participating.

This edition is the largest in the history of the Games and serves as a qualifier for the Youth Olympic Games, which will be held in Dakar, Senegal, next year.

Qatar will be represented by 67 male and female athletes competing in 16 sports: athletics, badminton, basketball (3x3), equestrian (show jumping), golf, judo, jiu-jitsu, cycling, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, wrestling, volleyball, beach volleyball, and boxing.

Qatari women's participation will include four sports: athletics, badminton, volleyball, and beach volleyball.

The Qatari teams are looking forward to making a strong showing at the Games and competing for medals in a number of sports.

This participation also forms part of the team's preparations for the 21st Asian Games "Doha 2030."

Qatar won two silver medals in the first edition of the Asian Youth Games (Singapore 2009) in athletics, while it won three medals in the second edition (Nanjing 2013), including a gold medal won by the Qatari handball team, in addition to two silver medals in shooting. (QNA)