Doha, October 18, 2026: The sixth Qatar Open Taekwondo Championship is set to begin on Sunday at the Ladies' Sports Hall in Doha, with 1,152 athletes from more than 46 countries competing across four age divisions until Wednesday.
Organized by the Qatar Taekwondo, Judo and Karate Federation, the four-day tournament is classified as a G-1 event, allowing participants to earn points towards their world rankings. The competition features 697 male and 455 female athletes, including more than 20 Olympic and world champions.
The championship will feature 76 weight categories across the cadet, junior, youth and senior divisions, with morning and evening sessions followed by daily medal ceremonies.
Qatar will be represented by six national-team athletes: Noor Mohammed, Maram Al Fetnasi, Widad Al Dosari, Ali Emam, Mohammed Ashraf and Mohammed Yassin Bali. Another 113 athletes from local clubs will also participate.
Ahead of the tournament, Qatar's national team completed overseas training camps in Spain and Egypt, alongside domestic preparations and participation in the Asian Games in Japan.
The federation also organized an international training camp in Doha from October 12 to 16, bringing together teams from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Kuwait, Yemen, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Led by Olympic coaches from Egypt, Spain and Tunisia, the camp focused on improving technical skills and physical readiness while encouraging knowledge exchange among coaches.
Speaking at a press conference in Doha, Federation Executive Director Adel Al Marzouqi said preparations for the championship had been completed, including arrangements for the competition venue and accommodation for participating delegations.
Al Marzouqi welcomed the strong international turnout, describing this edition as more attractive than the previous one. He noted that the championship had established a solid international reputation through its competitive standard and the world-ranking points available to participants.
He added that the success of the previous edition had raised expectations for the organizing committee to deliver further improvements in coaching, administration and event management.
Al Marzouqi also highlighted the tournament's role in strengthening coaching standards and providing greater international exposure for athletes from GCC countries and across the Arab region. He emphasized that Qatar's broad participation would further support the development of taekwondo and expand its grassroots base.
He expressed hope that the championship would achieve success across all aspects of the competition and organization.
Source: QNA
