Category: Sports

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani received today, Tuesday, the champion Najla Imad, who achieved a historic gold medal for Iraq in the table tennis event at the Paris Paralympics, accompanied by her father and her coach Jamal Jalal, in the presence of the Prime Minister's Advisor for Women's Affairs. During the meeting, Al-Sudani congratulated, according to a statement by his media office, what the golden champion has achieved, which represents an important humanitarian message today, as she was able to overcome the ordeal of terrorism, and was able to win with diligence and training, to be the first Iraqi woman to receive a gold medal in an international forum, extending his thanks to her father and her coach for the achievement that all the Iraqi people are proud of, and directed to host her in the Supreme Council for Women session, and to provide all the necessary capabilities for her and her fellow champions. The Prime Minister said: 'The government attaches great importance to sports, which has be come a priority, like other priorities, and an important development sector,' stressing the focus on all sports, not just football, as the Olympic Champion Project was launched, which aims to create champions for the 2028 and 2032 Olympic Games. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Minister of Youth and Sports Ahmed Al-Mubarqa confirmed that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani supports the Paralympics champions to achieve more achievements. A statement by the ministry stated: "Al-Mubarqa received today, Tuesday, the delegation of the Paralympics Committee at Baghdad International Airport, following its successful participation in the Paris Paralympics after winning (5) medals, including a gold medal, a silver medal, and (3) bronze medals." Al-Mubarqa explained that "what the Paralympic Committee champions have achieved in the global forum is an achievement for Iraqi sports, in addition to the distinguished results of the committee that has always won various medals in its previous participations." He added that "this achievement is a source of pride for Iraqi sports, and that people of determination deserve all our support and assistance in order to continue their success and raise the flag of Iraq high in international participations," stressing "the support of the Iraqi governme nt, headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, for these champions in return for what they have provided and achieved for Iraqi sports." Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The administration of the Saudi Al-Nasr Club submitted an official request to the Asian Football Federation to transfer the match of its football team against the Iraqi Al-Shorta Club to the capital, Baghdad. For its part, the Al-Shorta Club administration confirmed that it had prepared everything related to the match, including hotel reservations for the two teams, refereeing crews, and Asian administrative cadres. A member of the Al-Shorta Club administration, Uday Al-Rubaie said, "Yesterday evening, we received an email from the Asian Football Federation confirming that the match will be held in Karbala, and the match supervisor will arrive today, Tuesday." Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Manama, Bahrain's national football team lost 5-0 to Japan in their match at the Bahrain National Stadium, during the second round of Group C matches in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. With this result, Bahrain remains at 3 points and drops to third place, while Japan moves to the top of the group with 6 points. Bahrain will next face Indonesia at home, followed by an away match against Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Japan will play against Saudi Arabia and Australia in the third and fourth rounds next October. Source: Bahrain News Agency

Kuala Lumpur - Ma'an - Our national football team lost to Jordan on Tuesday evening, with three goals to one, in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Jordanian national team opened the scoring early through its player Yazan Al-Naimat from a rebounded ball, after which he was alone with goalkeeper Baraa Kharoub and easily put the ball into the net, before our national team star Wissam Abu Ali equalized the score minutes before the end of the first half, from a cross that he headed into the net of Jordanian goalkeeper Yazeed Abu Laila. The Jordanian team added the second goal five minutes after the start of the second half through Yazan Al-Naimat, and the third goal in the 72nd minute through Nour Al-Rawabdeh. Our national team's balance froze at one point, which it obtained from a draw against South Korea in the first round, and remained in fifth place, while the Jordanian team jumped to the top temporarily and raised its balance to 4 points. Source: Maan News Agency

Bethlehem - Ma'an - The fans of the Italian national team expressed their sympathy with Palestine, which has been subjected to a fierce war that has been ongoing for a year by Israel, leading to the martyrdom of more than 45,000 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During the match between Italy and the Israeli national team, the fans turned their backs while the Israeli anthem was being played, which angered politicians in the occupying state. "They acted correctly," said politician Alessandro Di Battista. "Israel has been occupying Palestine for a long time and has committed an ugly apartheid. Since the beginning of the war on Gaza, it has committed genocide, and this is the biggest terrorist state in the world." Source: Maan News Agency

Manama, Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), the home of motorsport in the Middle East, announced the launch of ticket sales for the 2024 World Endurance Championship 8 Hours of Bahrain powered by Bapco Energies. As the Spirit of Le Mans returns to the Kingdom, fans can expect an action-packed global event showcasing the very best of global endurance racing, as well as incredible off-track entertainment. It is scheduled to be held on November 1- 2 as the eighth and final round of this year's FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). As one of the most affordable ways to watch a World Championship event, tickets cost just BD5.5 for adults and BD2.75 for children for the two-day WEC spectacle. Tickets can be purchased online at bahraingp.com or by calling the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000. Fans are urged to purchase their tickets at the earliest so as not to miss out on the world's most prestigious endurance racing series, boasting many of motoring's biggest manufacturers, teams, and racing drivers. BIC is a lso delighted to offer its premium hospitality product for WEC, The Le Mans Spirit Club Package. Priced at BD 290 (ex VAT) for two days, it includes an inclusive dining and drinks package, all in the incredible setting of premium lounges overlooking the pit lane and main straight. The WEC has established itself as one of the premier championships under the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the leading global series for endurance racing. It attracts countless stars in motorsport, and it continues to grow in popularity every year, with races taking place in eight countries across four continents. The 8 Hours of Bahrain powered by Bapco Energies will be the first major global meeting of BIC's 2024-25 racing calendar, and it will be an exciting climax to what has been an historic WEC campaign to date. Following the completion of the season's sixth round held two weeks ago in Austin, USA, there have now been six different winning cars - one from each event - in the WEC's top-tier Hypercar class. T he competition has never been so tight, with the most iconic brands being represented in the series' two categories - the Hypercar and lower-tier LMGT3 - including McLaren, Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Toyota, Lexus, Ford, Peugeot, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Alpine. Bahrain's WEC event is the only eight-hour race on the calendar, giving fans the chance to watch the field battle it out from daytime conditions to night under BIC's state-of-the-art floodlights. The 8 Hours of Bahrain powered by Bapco Energies will crown the latest batch of FIA WEC champions. Prior to heading to the Kingdom, the series would have made stops at Lusail in Qatar, Imola in Italy, Spa in Belgium, Le Mans in France, Sao Paulo in Brazil, Austin in the US, and Fuji in Japan. This year's event will mark the 13th WEC race at BIC and sixth time it is being held in the eight-hour format. Also taking place as part of the weekend's programme will be the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East - the region's leading one-make cham pionship featuring talented drivers of different nationalities. Furthermore, BIC is planning an incredible line-up of colourful entertainment to enjoy off the track on both days of the WEC weekend. More details on plans for the race weekend will be announced over the coming weeks. For further information on the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain or other BIC events and activities, visit bahraingp.com or call the BIC Hotline on +973-17450000. Source: Bahrain News Agency

New Delhi, Saudi Arabia has officially received the flag for hosting the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh in 2025 for the first time in its history. The announcement was made during the 44th Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly in India, attended by Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Musaed, Vice President of Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC), Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Baeshen, Secretary-General and CEO of SOPC, and other princes, ministers, and heads of national Olympic committees from Asia. The General Assembly approved the reappointment of SOPC President Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal as Vice President of the OCA for the Asian Games. It elected Prince Fahd bin Jalawi as Chair of the Education Committee for the second consecutive term. Also, the CEO of the Saudi Olympic Academy, Al-Batool Baroom, was appointed as vice chair of the Sport and Peace Committee, along with the appointment of other committee chairs within the OCA. Prince Fahd bin Jalawi, on behalf of Prince Abdulaz iz bin Turki, received the Games flag from OCA President Raja Randhir Singh, and a representative from Thailand. The assembly also saw Singh elected as OCA President for the next four years, making him the first official Indian president of the council after serving as acting president since 2021. The executive board, including the vice presidents and board members, were also elected. The General Assembly discussed several reports, most notably on the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (Riyadh 2025), the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, scheduled for February 2025, the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, capital of Japan's Aichi Prefecture, in 2026. Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Iraqi Football Association issued a clarification today regarding the attendance of Iraqi fans at the match between the national team and its Kuwaiti counterpart, indicating that "Iraq's share is available and cannot be touched." The association stated in a brief statement: "The share designated for our fans to attend the match between our national team and its Kuwaiti counterpart, amounting to (5) thousand spectators, is still available and cannot be touched." It pointed out that "the news related to the sold-out tickets allocated to our fans is incorrect and not based on facts." Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Iraqi player Najla Imad won the gold medal at the Paris Paralympics for table tennis after defeating Ukrainian Marina Lenovchenko. Source: National Iraqi News Agency