English
Indian
العربية
Español
Deutsch
Türkçe
Русский
Français (Afrique)
Qatar swimming champion Nada Wafa elected Chair of ISSA Athletes Committee
Riyadh: Qatar swimming champion Nada Mohamed Wafa has been elected Chairperson of the Athletes Committee of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) at the Association's General Assembly meeting in Taif, Saudi Arabia, attended by representatives of its member countries.
Wafa's election reflects her sporting achievements and extensive experience in regional and international competitions. In her new role, she will lead the committee tasked with representing athletes and promoting their participation in the Association's activities and events.
Her election reflects the confidence placed in Qatari sporting talent internationally and further strengthens Qatar's presence in regional and international sports organizations. It also reinforces Qatar's contribution to sports development and efforts to support athletes. beltedkingfisher.blog
Nada Mohamed Wafa is one of Qatar's prominent sporting figures and has represented the country at numerous regional and international competitions, most notably at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in South Korea.
Team Qatar wins LMGT3 at Silverstone, takes Championship lead
DOHA: Team Qatar by Iron Lynx secured a major victory in the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone, Round 5 of the 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS), taking first place in the LMGT3 category with the #62 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3.
The team, supported by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), claimed the victory with its Silverstone driver lineup of Qatar’s Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Ralf Aron, delivering a strong and consistent performance throughout the four-hour race.
The weekend had already started perfectly when Abdulla Al-Khelaifi secured pole position in the LMGT3 category on Saturday, setting a time of 2:00.011. This was Abdulla’s third LMGT3 pole position of the 2026 ELMS season.
Starting from the front of the LMGT3 field, Team Qatar maintained its strong pace throughout the race to secure its first ELMS victory of the 2026 season.
The result is particularly significant in the championship battle. Team Qatar entered the Silverstone race in third place in the LMGT3 standings with 47 points, just six points behind the championship leader.
Following the Silverstone victory and the additional championship point earned for pole position, Team Qatar moved to the top of the LMGT3 championship standings with 73 points, heading into the final round of the season.
With only one round remaining, Team Qatar by Iron Lynx is now a strong contender for the 2026 ELMS LMGT3 championship title.
The final round of the European Le Mans Series will take place at Portimão, Portugal, on 10 October 2026.
Rybakina triumphs in US Open, denies Sabalenka three-peat
New York: Elena Rybakina denied Aryna Sabalenka a third straight US Open title on Saturday, punctuating her rise to world number one with a victory over the player she's replacing at the summit.
Rybakina, already assured of supplanting Sabalenka atop the rankings by reaching the semi-finals in New York, triumphed 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to claim her third Grand Slam title.
She won her first at Wimbledon in 2022 and beat Sabalenka in the Australian Open title to claim her second in January.
"It feels amazing," Rybakina said. "It's still so difficult to process what happened. Too much achievements these few weeks. I'm super happy, very proud of all the work. It's just amazing."
She ended Sabalenka's 20-match winning streak in Flushing Meadows, where the 2024 and 2025 champion hadn't lost since falling to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final.
"I wish I could have performed a little better," Sabalenka told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, her voice breaking, "but I guess next year."
She had been vying to become just the third woman, after Chris Evert and Serena Williams, to win three straight US Open titles.
The 28-year old from Belarus clawed back courageously in the second set, breaking Rybakina for the first time in the final game to force the third.
But with her trademark aplomb, Rybakina roared back to finish off a frustrated Sabalenka.
With an early break in hand in the third set, Rybakina roared to the finish line. There was a final hiccup with two double faults as she served for the match before she secured the win with an ace.
"I feel like the match was so close," Rybakina said. "Even first set I got early break. Then it was kind of a little bit easier to step in, to be aggressive.
"Then in the second, we were taking our serve. She just played in these same important moments more aggressive.
"I had some little opportunities. Made couple of mistakes. But then in the third set, I told myself that I can still do it. I need to focus on my serve and just risk a little bit more when I have the chance."
A disappointed Sabalenka exchanged a quick hug with the victor at the net, then smashed her racquet as she sat in her courtside seat as Rybakina absorbed the cheers of the crowd.
"I'm obviously not really happy with the level I played today," Sabalenka said. "But she served incredible. She played really aggressive, great tennis.
'Better player today'
"She was simply a better player today than me," said Sabalenka, who will end the year without a major title for the first time since 2022.
The two biggest hitters in the women's game came out swinging. Rybakina, owner of perhaps the most fearsome serve on the WTA Tour, was struggling to put her first serve in play, but it was devastating when she did.
She pressured Sabalenka's serve throughout, piling up a dozen break points and converting three.
Rybakina seized control in the fifth game of the opening set, relentlessly pushing Sabalenka back with her deep groundstrokes.
Unsettled, Sabalenka double faulted on break point, then smacked a ball skyward to draw a code violation warning for ball abuse.
Sabalenka was looking increasingly desperate. Serving to extend the set at 5-3, she crushed an overhead several feet beyond the baseline and had to regroup before closing the game with an ace and a service winner.
But Rybakina wouldn't be denied, and she polished off the set 6-4 with a screaming backhand winner before Sabalenka sailed a shot long to end the deciding rally.
The second set started much the same, Sabalenka saving a pair of break points in the third game before thumping down a massive serve to hold.
She had yet to make any headway against Rybakina's serve, but she seemed to have found something on her own, twice holding to love as she took a 5-4 lead.
Sabalenka's first break points of the match gave her a chance to close out the set, but she couldn't convert.
Nevertheless, Sabalenka was gaining in confidence. She held for a 6-5 lead then broke Rybakina with authority to force a third set -- but it proved only a brief reprieve.