Doha, September 18 (QNA) - Qatar's athletics team will participate in the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, which will be held in Japan from Sep. 19 to Oct. 4.

A total of 16 Qatari athletes will compete in five field events and six track events, hoping to win as many medals as possible.

The national team includes prominent names in track and field who have previously won medals at the Olympic, world, continental and regional levels and have extensive experience winning medals at continental Games, including Mutaz Barshim, Abderrahman Samba and Ashraf Elseify. Zakaria Ibrahim, Abderrahman Ibrahim, Moaaz Ibrahim, among others who will also seek to continue Qatar's continental achievements in Japan.

The athletics competitions will take place from Sep. 24 to 29, with athletes competing for medals in morning and evening sessions at the Nagoya track and field venue.

The field events (discus throw, hammer throw, high jump, shot put and pole vault) will present a particular challenge for Qatar's athletes, given their capabilities in these disciplines, as well as their established records and previous medals. Competition on the track is expected to be even more intense, with Qatari athletes participating in the 400m hurdles, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase, as well as the mixed relay and 4x400m relay.

The national team athletes have completed their preparations for the Games, with final confirmation of entries to take place at the technical meeting preceding the start of the athletics competitions, in accordance with the customary procedure followed at all editions of the Games.

Among the most prominent participants is Olympic and world champion Mutaz Barshim, who will be seeking his fourth Asian Games medal in the high jump after winning medals at three editions: Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2022.

Barshim is also the first high jumper to win four medals across four consecutive editions of the Olympic Games, having won gold at Tokyo 2020, silver at London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016, and bronze at Paris 2024.

Athletics is one of the sports offering the largest number of medals for both men and women, with 66 medals available in the men's competitions and another 66 in the women's events. Qatar will seek to win as many medals as possible at this edition, particularly as it precedes the 21st Asian Games, Doha 2030. The event will also provide valuable competitive experience for a large number of promising athletes participating in Japan.

Medals at the Asian Games carry considerable sporting and symbolic value for athletes, as medalists retain their status as champions of their events for the next four years. This will provide additional motivation for athletes to compete at their highest level for medals at this edition before defending their titles four years later.

The Qatar Athletics Federation has prepared the national team's athletes to perform at their highest level and compete for medals, reinforcing Qatar's position as one of the leading contenders for titles, as it has been at previous editions of the Games.

The Qatari delegation is also placing considerable hopes on athletics to increase its overall medal tally, as has been the case at previous editions in which Qatar participated, most recently at Hangzhou 2022 in China.

Throughout previous editions of the Asian Games, athletics has remained at the forefront of Qatar's sporting achievements, both in terms of the number of medals won and the number of athletes participating in track and field events, making the sport and its athletes' successes a source of pride for Qatar. (QNA)