Nagoya, October 03 (QNA) - The Team Qatar delegation at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games celebrated a historic achievement Saturday, as the national padel team clinched the gold medal on the sport's Asian Games debut, with Qatar's Rashid Nawaf and Mishari Nawaf thrashing Malaysia in straight sets in the final.

The delegation also celebrated the achievement of Qatar's beach volleyball team, which captured the gold medal to retain its Asian title for the third consecutive time, as well as the bronze medal won by Shaheen Mohammed in the 77kg Greco-Roman wrestling competition after defeating Indonesia's Andika Sulaiman.

The celebration, held at Qatar House in Nagoya, was attended by HE First Vice-President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Mohammed bin Yousef Al Mana; HE Secretary-General of QOC Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain; and HE Director of the QOC Sports Sector Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al-Thani.

They were joined by Team Qatar's padel, beach volleyball and wrestling champions, along with several members of the Qatari delegation.

The padel gold came through Team Qatar's Mishari Nawaf and Rashid Nawaf, who defeated Malaysia's Christian Chin and Aidan Yunus 6-3, 6-1 to capture the inaugural padel gold medal in Asian Games history.

In beach volleyball, Team Qatar's Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan retained their Asian title after steamrolling Indonesia's Sufyan Rahman Effendi and Bintang 2-1 in the final, earning Qatar its third consecutive Asian Games gold medal.

The triumph extended Team Qatar's dominance of Asian Games beach volleyball after the pair captured the title at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 and Hangzhou 2022 before retaining the gold for a third straight time at these Games.

The medals demonstrate the phenomenal level produced by Qatar's athletes at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, as well as the tremendous success achieved by Qatar's national teams across several sports with the Games nearing the close of competition.

The Qatari delegation's medal tally rose to 16, including five gold, six silver and five bronze medals.

  President of the Asian Padel Federation and Secretary-General of the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation Tareq Darwish Zainal said the gold-medal triumph by Qatar's Rashid Nawaf and Mishari Nawaf in the sport's first Asian Games appearance marked an extraordinary feat for Team Qatar.

On Saturday, Zainal congratulated the nation's leadership on securing the first gold medal in the history of padel competition at the Asian Games. He also congratulated HE President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, as well as the Qatari people, on the historic occasion.

Zainal said the federation was immensely happy to capture the gold medal and proud of this extraordinary achievement, which grew out of efforts to develop padel at home. He emphasized that the federation looks forward to achieving even more success in the future.

Qatar team players Rashid and Mishari Nawaf also expressed their immense joy at securing the major Asian achievement in the sport's first appearance at the Asian Games.

Rashid Nawaf said he could not put into words how happy he was with this proud feat, which capped all the efforts he had put in throughout the Games to reach the podium.

He thanked every person who supported the team on its way to winning the gold medal, emphasizing that the team was thrilled to dedicate this achievement to the nation's leadership and the people of Qatar. He affirmed that the team aspires to continue achieving success and hoisting Qatar's flag aloft at upcoming events.

Mishari Nawaf, for his part, said he was incredibly happy to win the gold medal at the Asian Games, adding that the achievement made him immensely proud because it was the first gold medal in the history of padel at the Asian Games.

The gold medal would serve as a major source of motivation to keep working, improving and pursuing further success in the future, Nawaf continued, expressing his pride in representing Qatar and unfurling its flag on the international stage. 

President of the Qatar Volleyball Association Ali bin Ghanem Al Kuwari expressed his profound happiness over the historic achievement by Qatar's beach volleyball team, which captured the gold medal at the Asian Games for the third straight time.

He asserted that the triumph reflects the phenomenal standing Qatar's beach volleyball has reached on the continental stage.

The third consecutive title confirms that the feat didn't come out of thin air, but grew out of sustained work, careful planning and tremendous support for the sport, Al Kuwari underlined.

He added that Qatar looks forward to building on its winning ways, extending its run of success and hoisting the nation's flag aloft at events across the international stage.

Qatar shooter Reem Al Sharshani made her debut on the OCA's Athletes' Committee after being elected as a representative of West Asia during elections held on the sidelines of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

Her four-year term will run from 2026 to 2030, with her election underscoring the prominent presence of Qatari sports and the caliber of its athletes across continental sports bodies and committees.

Qatar will receive the Olympic Council of Asia flag Sunday during the closing ceremony of the 20th Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya 2026, officially setting the stage for its journey toward hosting the 21st edition of the Games in Doha in 2030.

The curtain will come down Sunday on the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 competition, which got underway Sept. 19 with the participation of 45 National Olympic Committees, before the Games' flag is handed over to Doha, the next host of the largest multi-sport event on the Asian continent.

Receiving the flag carries special significance for Qatari sports, coming 20 years after Doha hosted the Asian Games for the first time in 2006 and ushering in a new phase of work and preparations to host the Games again four years from now.

Doha's preparations for the next edition build on Qatar's extensive experience hosting major championships and sporting events, as well as its world-class infrastructure and sports venues, which have previously hosted numerous international competitions. Sustainability and making the most of existing facilities will also be central to preparations for Doha 2030.

During its time in Japan, the Doha 2030 Asian Games Organizing Committee delegation made a concerted effort to learn from the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 experience by taking part in the observer program and gaining firsthand insight into the various organizational and operational aspects involved in hosting the Games.

The closing ceremony today is expected to be a watershed moment in the Doha 2030 journey, as the Olympic Council of Asia flag passes to Qatar, ushering in a new phase that will unfold over the next four years and culminate in Doha hosting the Asian Games in 2030.

Qatar is aiming to stage an extraordinary edition of the Asian Games, which will return to Doha after the phenomenal hosting Qatar delivered at the Asian Games.

The next edition will put not only Asia but the entire world in line to witness Qatar's organizational excellence and creativity as the country writes a new chapter in its proud record of hosting major sporting events. (QNA)