'One Gulf, One Heart': GCC Games set for grand opening ceremony at Al…

Doha, Qatar: Sport enthusiasts in the Gulf region will be in for a treat from today when the 4th edition of the GCC Games, Doha 2026, officially get underway with the participation of over 1,000 athletes from the six member nations. librea.one

Qatar will field a 300-strong contingent at the prestigious multi-sport event, which will continue until May 22.

The organisers have lined up a grand opening ceremony today at Al Shaqab Arena, which is set to be attended by a number of dignitaries and officials, including the presidents of National Olympic Committees, secretaries-general.

Today’s grand opening ceremony will carry the theme “One Gulf, One Heart”, and will see multiple performances which will highlight the shared identity and solidarity of the Gulf people. The organising committee, led by Qatar Olympic Committee President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, will aim to deliver an event that is befitting Qatar’s global reputation as a premier destination for major international events.

The Games will see the athletes compete across 17 sports, including athletics, handball, volleyball, swimming, equestrian, boxing, taekwondo, karate, fencing, shooting, archery, padel, bowling, table tennis, billiards, snooker and 3x3 basketball.Athletes from Kuwait participating in the 4th GCC Games Doha 2026 upon their arrival in Doha yesterday.

The action begins tomorrow, with swimming events taking place at the Hamad Aquatic Centre and 3x3 basketball matches at Al Gharafa Club Hall.

الأخباررفض دخول حكم صومالي لأمريكامُنِع الحكم الصومالي عمر عرتن الذي كان من المقرر أن يصبح أول حكم من بلاده يدير مباريات المونديال ، من دخول أمريكا، وفق ما أفاد مسؤول في وزارة الرياضة الصومالية .ولم يتضح على الف...فتح →

Aspire Dome will host taekwondo and table tennis competitions, while billiards events will be staged at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation Hall. Bowling competitions will take place at the Qatar Bowling Center.

Equestrian events will begin on Wednesday at the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, while fencing and boxing competitions will also get underway at Aspire Dome. Shooting contests are scheduled at the Lusail Shooting Range.

Athletics competitions start on Thursday at Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium, alongside handball action at the Duhail Sports Hall.

Snooker competitions will begin on Friday at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation Hall, while volleyball and padel events are scheduled to start next Saturday at the Women’s Sports Hall and Aspire Dome respectively. Archery competitions are set for next Sunday at the Lusail Shooting Range, and karate events will be held on May 21 at Aspire Dome on the penultimate day.

Historically, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been the dominant nations at the GCC Games, with Kuwait topping the medal standings at the inaugural edition in Bahrain in 2011 and again when it hosted the third edition in 2022. Saudi Arabia emerged as overall champions at the second edition held in Dammam in 2015. Qatar secured third place at both the 2011 and 2015 editions before finishing fifth in 2022.

Competition venues

Swimming: May 12-15 - Hamad Aquatic Centre
3x3 basketball: May 12-14 - Al Gharafa Sports Club
Taekwondo: May 12-13 - Aspire Dome
Table tennis: May 12-13 - Aspire Dome
Billiards: May 12-15 - Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation
Bowling: May 12-17 - Qatar Bowling Centre
Equestrian: May 13-15 - Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club
Fencing: May 13-16 - Aspire Dome
Boxing: May 13-15 - Aspire Dome
Shooting: May 13-20 - Lusail Range
Athletics: May 14-17 - Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium
Handball: May 14-22 - Duhail Sports Hall
Snooker: May 15-19 - Women's Sports Hall
Volleyball: May 16-19 - Women's Sports Hall
Padel: Until May 20 - Aspire Dome
Archery: May 17-21 - Lusail Shooting Range
Karate: May 21 - Aspire Dome

حجز نادي السد مقعده في نهائي كأس الأمير بطريقة قوية ومقنعة، بعدما اكتسح غريمه الدحيل بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدف في مواجهة كشفت الفارق الفني والتكتيكي بين الفريقين، وأكدت أن “الزعيم” يعيش واحدة من أفضل فتراته هذا الموسم.
منذ الدقائق الأولى، ظهر السد بشخصية البطل، فارضًا إيقاعه على المباراة بضغط عالٍ وانتشار منظم في وسط الملعب، ما أربك حسابات الدحيل وأفقده القدرة على بناء اللعب بشكل مريح. في المقابل، بدا الدحيل مترددًا، عاجزًا عن مجاراة نسق السد السريع، خاصة مع التحولات الهجومية القاتلة التي اعتمد عليها الأخير.
المدرب مانشيني كان نجم المواجهة من خارج الخطوط، حيث أدار اللقاء بذكاء كبير وقرأ مجرياته بشكل مثالي. عرف متى يهدئ اللعب ومتى يرفع الإيقاع، كما كانت تدخلاته حاسمة في الوقت المناسب، وهو ما انعكس بشكل مباشر على نتيجة المباراة.
أبرز تلك اللمسات جاءت مع التغييرات، التي كانت في توقيتها المثالي وحملت الإضافة المرجوة. دخول حسن الهيدوس شكّل نقطة تحول حقيقية، إذ لم يحتج سوى للمسة واحدة ليعلن حضوره بهدف ثالث رائع، بتسديدة صاروخية أنهت عمليًا آمال الدحيل في العودة، وأشعلت مدرجات السد فرحًا. يدخل السد المرحلة الحاسمة من الموسم بطموحات كبيرة، عنوانها التتويج باللقب العشرين في تاريخ مشاركاته ببطولة كأس سمو الأمير، ليواصل كتابة فصول المجد وتعزيز مكانته كأحد أعمدة الكرة القطرية. هذا الطموح لم يأتِ من فراغ، بل من شخصية فريق يعرف جيدًا معنى النهائيات، ويُدرك أن الوصول إلى المشهد الختامي لا يكفي، بل يجب أن يُتوج بالذهب. وفي هذا السياق، كان حديث المدرب روبرتو مانشيني واضحًا وحازمًا مع لاعبيه داخل غرفة الملابس عقب نهاية مباراة نصف النهائي، حيث شدد على أن الفريق لا يقبل بخسارة النهائي، معتبرًا أن الخروج من نصف النهائي كان سيكون أقل قسوة من خسارة اللقب في اللحظة الحاسمة. كلمات مانشيني حملت رسالة قوية: لا مجال للتهاون، ولا مكان للأعذار. فالفريق الذي وصل إلى النهائي عليه أن يُنهي المهمة، خاصة وأن جماهير السد تنتظر إنجازًا جديدًا يُضاف إلى سجل البطولات الحافل.

Le Mans, France: Italian Francesco Bagnaia produced a brilliant lap to edge out Marc Marquez for pole position at the French Grand Prix on Saturday, as MotoGP championship leader Marco Bezzecchi qualified third.

Bagnaia posted a time of one minute and 29.634 seconds to beat his Ducati teammate Marc Marquez by 0.012 secs and secure his first pole since Malaysia last year.

"It's absolutely fantastic," said Bagnaia. "This season I've been struggling in qualifying, but since the start of the weekend, we've been working better and we've found something."

Two-time world champion Bagnaia has endured a tough start to the season, failing to finish two of the four races so far.

Aprilia's Bezzecchi completed the front row, just another 0.011 secs slower than Marc Marquez.

Bezzecchi's run of five consecutive MotoGP wins was ended last month by Alex Marquez in Spain.

Reigning champion Marc Marquez has also crashed out twice this campaign and is 44 points behind Bezzecchi in fifth in the riders' standings.

The 33-year-old, who ended a six-year wait for his seventh MotoGP world title last season, posted a track record in the first qualifying session after missing out on the top 10 in Friday's practice.

"I didn't understand why I was so fast in Q1," he said.

"What's a shame is that I can't seem to be consistent. I really need to work on understanding things in the coming weeks to improve and become more consistent.

"Being on the front row is still a great surprise."

Jorge Martin, who is 11 points behind Bezzecchi in second place in the championship, could only qualify in eighth spot.

The weekend's racing continues later Saturday with the sprint, before Sunday's main race.

Egyptian defender Ramy Rabia scored and assisted as Al Ain beat Sharjah 5-0 to seal the UAE Pro League title.

Ramy Rabia scored and assisted as Al Ain beat Sharjah 5-0 on Wednesday to secure the 2025-26 UAE Pro League title with two matches remaining.

The Egyptian set up Al Ain’s third goal in the 51st minute, sending a long pass for Erik Jorgens to score after the break.

Rabia then scored Al Ain’s fifth goal in the 63rd minute, heading in from a Matias Palacios delivery to complete the scoring.

Abdulkarim Trawri opened the scoring in the 10th minute before Sharjah’s Majed Hassan Ahmed turned the ball into his own net five minutes later. Soufian Rahimi added the fourth goal in the 54th minute.

The win moved Al Ain to 62 points at the top of the table, while Sharjah remained 10th with 25 points.

The goal was Rabia’s second in the league this season and his first trophy with Al Ain since joining the club at the start of the campaign.

The post Ramy Rabia Scores and Assists in Al Ain Title Win appeared first on KingFut.

London: Arsenal moved closer to the Premier League title in controversial fashion as a hugely contentious decision to disallow Callum Wilson's stoppage-time goal handed the leaders a vital 1-0 win against West Ham on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta's side struggled to break down West Ham in a tense derby at the London Stadium before Leandro Trossard struck with a deflected effort seven minutes from full-time.

But Arsenal's title rivals Manchester City will be furious that West Ham were denied a last-gasp equaliser for Pablo's foul on Gunners keeper David Raya, whose fumble was fired home by Wilson.

Pablo had his arm across Raya's chest in the incident but the contact was minimal, with West Ham also claiming fouls by Declan Rice and Trossard at the same moment.

In what could be the defining image of the title race, referee Chris Kavanagh and the VAR officials took an age to disallow the goal, with the verdict eventually sparking outraged jeers from West Ham fans, while Arteta clenched his fists in relief.

Arsenal are five points clear of second-placed City, whose 3-0 win against Brentford on Saturday had kept the pressure on the leaders.

City can close within two points of Arsenal if they win their game in hand at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

But Arsenal know they are guaranteed to seal the title if they win their last two games against Burnley and Crystal Palace.

The Gunners' mental strength has been questioned numerous times in recent years, but they showed spirit and desire in equal measure to edge ever closer to a long-awaited first title in 22 years.

Arsenal have also reached their first Champions League final since 2006, beating Atletico Madrid in the last four on Tuesday, and will face Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Budapest on May 30.

Winning their 14th English title and a maiden Champions League crown would make it the greatest season in the club's 139-year history.

Thierry Henry, a key figure in the unbeaten "Invincibles" side who were the last Arsenal team to win the title in 2003-04, recently said Arteta's squad would be known as the "unforgettables" if they lift both trophies.

For the thousands of Arsenal supporters crammed into one end of the London Stadium, this was a result they will never forget if the title is secured over the next two weeks.

Arsenal on brink of immortality

Third-bottom West Ham's hopes of avoiding relegation are fading.

They are one point behind fourth-bottom Tottenham, who can take a huge step towards survival if they beat host Leeds on Monday.

Trossard went close for Arsenal from an early corner, his close-range header well saved by Mads Hermansen before the winger headed the rebound onto the crossbar.

Arsenal suffered a blow when Ben White limped off midway through the half, forcing Rice to move from midfield to a makeshift right-back role.

After being penned in for so long, West Ham were inches away from taking a shock lead just before half-time.

Valentin Castellanos threw himself at Aaron Wan-Bissaka's cross with a diving header that Raya saved at full stretch.

Arsenal had lost control of the game with Rice out of position and Arteta responded at the break, sending on Cristhian Mosquera so the England star could return to midfield.

Even that couldn't shift the momentum back in Arsenal's favour.

Raya made a brilliant save to keep Arsenal level, sticking out his foot to block Mateus Fernandes' shot after the midfielder looked certain to score from five yards.

It was a priceless contribution as Arsenal netted in the 83rd minute.

Martin Odegaard played a one-two with Rice and cleverly worked the pass into Trossard, whose strike from 12 yards took a hefty deflection on its way past Hermansen.

There was nearly a sting in the tale for Arsenal when Raya's drop was lashed in by Wilson, but VAR came to the Gunners' rescue, leaving them three wins from immortality.