Sport

Saturday, February 21, 2026 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.
Gulf Times

Aspire Zone Foundation launches 12th edition of ‘Ramadan Sports Festival’

The 12th edition of the “Ramadan Sports Festival 2026,” organized by Aspire Zone Foundation, will kick off on Sunday evening, February 22, 2026, the festival has established itself as one of Qatar’s leading Ramadan sporting events. The festival will start from February 22 to March 6, 2026, daily from 8pm until midnight, featuring a comprehensive program of championships and activities across the foundation’s various venues. The festival is organised in line with the foundation’s strategy to promote physical activity and encourage a healthy lifestyle during the holy month. It offers a fully integrated sporting experience that combines fair competition with community engagement, reflecting the sporting and humanitarian values that Aspire Zone has upheld since its inception. Spanning 12 consecutive days, the festival includes 11 sports and fitness events targeting various age groups and interests, highlighting diversity and openness to both competitive and community-based sports. The programme features football tournaments — “Embassies” and “Aspetar” — in addition to basketball competitions for men, women, and youth; table tennis for people with disabilities; swimming competitions at the Hamad Aquatic Centre; Aspire Academy’s beach volleyball championship on the academy’s outdoor courts; a women’s padel tournament at Padel In Courts; and a women’s futsal championship. The programme also includes the Night Family Run, organised in cooperation with the Qatar Sports for All Federation at Aspire Park, adding a strong community dimension that encourages family participation and reinforces the concept of sport as a way of life. The opening chapter of the festival will feature the “Embassies” football tournament at Pitch No 5, from February 22 to March 6, with the participation of 24 teams divided into eight groups, reflecting remarkable cultural diversity and international representation. Group One includes South America, Tanzania, and Senegal; Group Two includes South Africa, Spain, and Oman; Group Three includes Chad, Jordan, and Mali; Group Four includes Finland, Algeria, and India; Group Five includes Syria, Ghana, and Thailand; Group Six includes Togo, Russia, and Iraq; Group Seven includes Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia; and Group Eight includes Iran, Egypt, and Malaysia. The opening day will feature three strong matches: South America vs Tanzania at 9pm (Group One), followed by South Africa vs Spain at 10pm (Group Two), and Chad vs Jordan at 11pm (Group Three). The preliminary round matches will continue until March 1. The Round of 16 will take place on March 2 and 3, followed by the quarterfinals on March 4 and the semifinals on March 5. The championship will conclude with the final match on March 6 in a highly anticipated Ramadan evening for football fans. In this context, Nasser Abdullah al-Hajri, Chief Marketing officer at Aspire Zone Foundation, said: “At Aspire Zone Foundation, we take pride in the Ramadan Sports Festival becoming an annual gathering point for different segments of the community in a refined sporting atmosphere that reflects the spirit of the holy month. Organising the 12th consecutive edition embodies our strategic commitment to promoting physical activity and establishing a healthy lifestyle, not only during Ramadan but throughout the year.**media[419513]**“This year, we ensured a diverse program featuring 11 sports and fitness events to guarantee broader participation across different segments of society — men, women, youth, people with disabilities, and families. Our goal is for Aspire Zone to remain an open space for all and a platform where sport meets community and humanitarian values.” Al-Hajri added: “We believe that sport is a universal language that unites nations. The Ramadan Sports Festival is a living embodiment of this concept, bringing together diverse cultures under the umbrella of fair competition and mutual respect. We look forward to an exceptional edition that further strengthens the festival’s position as one of Qatar’s premier Ramadan events.” Aspire Zone Foundation remains committed to providing an integrated sporting environment in terms of infrastructure, organisation, and technical standards, ensuring an outstanding experience for participants and spectators alike, and reinforcing the festival’s status as a key annual event in Qatar’s Ramadan sports calendar.

Marco Casamento rides Kendah Al Shahania to Loyalty Cup win at the Al Rayyan Racecourse. PICTURES: Juhaim

Kendah Al Shahania claims Loyalty Cup

HE Sheikha Iman bint Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani’s Kendah Al Shahania won the Loyalty Cup in style at the Al Rayyan Racecourse turf on late Thursday evening.The bay filly, trained by Rudy Nerbonne and ridden by Marco Casamento, built on her runner-up debut to open her account in decisive fashion, settling towards the rear before unleashing a sharp burst in the straight to seize control and score 1¾ lengths win in the 1600m feature race, Graduation Plate for four-year-old Local Purebred Arabians, Class 4, contested by 10 runners. In the process, the filly, also provided her trainer a double on the card.Early pace was set by the front-running group while Kendah Al Shahania was content to bide her time in behind, travelling comfortably as the field began to string out approaching the home turn. Turning in, Qiltan had already moved into a prominent position and struck the front, but once the eventual winner was angled into the clear she quickened decisively, reeling him in with authority and drawing away inside the final stages.Qiltan, representing Wathnan Racing and trained by Alban de Mieulle, stayed on under Soufiane Saadi to secure second, finishing a full seven lengths clear of Asfaan Al Shahania, who ran on late under Lukas Delozier for HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al-Thani and trainer Nerbonne.The sizeable margin between the pair underlined how the winner and runner-up had pulled well clear of the remainder in the straight, effectively settling the race between themselves before the line.Tabahi returned to winning form by winning the The Late Rabiah Saad Al Kaabi Cup, the 1400m race for Thoroughbred Handicap for Fillies & Mares. The five-year-old chestnut mare, in the silks of Sheih Faisal bin Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, recorded a third win from five starts this campaign, tracking the long-time leader throughout before finding extra passing the 300m mark to strike the front and score by a length. Trained by Ibrahim Saeed al-Malki, the mare was ridden by Arnaud De Lepine.Torvar broke through in Division 2 of the 1100m Thoroughbred Handicap for Mohammed Nawaf Al-Rayes by winning The Late Rashid Mubarak Al-Shafi Cup. Drawn wide, the five-year-old chestnut gelding was rewarded for three consecutive placed efforts, producing a display of grit and speed in the home straight as he charged from the rear to overhaul the leaders in the concluding stages and prevail by a ¼ length. Trained by Mohammed al-Ghazali, he was ridden by Soufiane Saadi, the pair completing a treble on the day.