DOHA (Qatar): The FIE Grand Prix Doha has served as ideal preparation for the Qatari fencers preparing for next month’s Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Uzbekistan.
The preliminary rounds of the men’s section of the three-day event got off at Aspire Dome with none of the four Qatari fencers making it to the round of 64. But that has certainly not disappointed the local fencers.
Qatar’s Ali Turki Owaida, Abdullah Ismail, Khaled Aref, Hussein Al Mutawa, and Faisal Al-Suwaidi all failed to make the last-64 cut. Only Owaida made it into the second round, where he was stopped by Austria’s Johannes Poscharnig, who claimed a 15-9 victory.
“Although we couldn’t qualify for Tokyo through this tournament, I believe we are all winners as we had the opportunity to participate in the tournament. For me, it has special importance as it precedes the Olympic Games in Tokyo and will help me prepare for the Olympic qualifiers next month in Uzbekistan,” Owaida said.
The Aspire Academy graduate said that competing in the Grand Prix has provided the Qatari athletes with an opportunity to compete at top-levels, which has boosted their confidence ahead of the Tokyo Olympics qualification.
“Participating at this level provides us with great experience, and I hope we can benefit from it during the continental qualifiers for the Olympic Games. I’m a graduate of Aspire Academy, and I’ve been participating in some major competitions, but the Grand Prix is special considering that it involves the world’s top players. So, I count it a privilege to be here,” Owaida said.
