Doha, October 05 (QNA) - HE President of the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation, Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi, said the Qatar padel team's gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in Japan, in the sport's first appearance in the official Asian Games program, was a historic achievement and a source of pride for Qatari sport.

In a statement made while welcoming the national team delegation upon its arrival in Doha on Monday, Al Khelaifi said the victory reflected the development of padel in Qatar and was the result of the support and care extended to Qatari sport by the country's wise leadership.

The Qatari pair of Rashid Nawaf and Mishari Nawaf won the padel gold medal after defeating Malaysia's team 6-3, 6-1 in the final. It was the first gold medal in the history of padel at the Asian Games, after the sport was included in the program for the first time at this edition.

The federation president congratulated the players and the coaching and administrative staff on their outstanding performances and the great efforts they made throughout the competition.

He said winning the gold medal on padel's debut at the Asian Games gave the achievement particular significance and would serve as an incentive to continue building on the team's accomplishments in upcoming competitions.

Al Khelaifi said the federation would continue to provide players with all forms of support and prepare them in the best possible way, helping strengthen Qatar's presence at continental and international tournaments and achieve further successes for Qatari sport.

Tariq Zainal, the federation's secretary-general and president of the Asian Padel Federation, said the Qatar champions' victory marked the beginning of a new chapter for the national team in upcoming competitions. He expressed confidence in brothers Mishari and Rashid Nawaf and the rest of the national team players, adding that Qatar was looking forward to competing strongly at the World Championship.

Qatar is scheduled to host the Padel World Championship from Nov. 2 to 7, with 16 men's and 16 women's national teams taking part. (QNA)