“The 2nd edition of the Gulf Co-operation Council’s Beach Games took place in Doha and the highly esteemed Katara Cultural Village, the host venue for the rowing, sailing and open water swimming contests.

Beach Games is a relatively young concept on the international sporting calendar. It was created by the Olympic Council of Asia in 2008, while the Gulf Co-operation Council Beach Games was first held in Bahrain five years ago. Qatar hosts the second edition aiming to raise the profile of beach sports across the region and to assist in global growth and development of these sports.

The opening day found 5 teams representing Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, all ready to embark on a fierce rowing battle in Men’s double sculls class.The start saw all the teams going for it, as maximum speed was the key for success. The aim of this game is synchronization as strokes generate power, with consistency and balance all transmitting into boat speed.

The team from Kuwait pulled ahead from the start, and crossed the finish line first, deserving their race win celebrations! UAE chased hard but an unlucky moment left them in second. Bahrain put in a good performance to pick up the bronze. Right after the race all the competitors had the chance to taste Qatar’s hospitality during the medal ceremony. The winners celebrated their victory on the podium under blue skies and the warm applause of all the attendees.

The schedule of the second day includes racing the Men’s single sculls, with a great line up representing the GCC countries: Qatar, Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

This physically demanding race was a real workout for the hard working athletes. Power, stamina and the right pace are all required. The outstanding performance of the day was by UAE who crossed the line first in a time of 2 minutes and 14 seconds. Second place went to Kuwait and third to Qatar. Right after the race it was time for celebrations and podium glory for the winners. Great moments for everyone and especially for the winners as they saw their national flags rise up in Doha’s sky.

The sport of sailing is added to the action and Qatar’s Sailing Club was full of life and activity as more than 50 sailors from 6 GCC nations gathered to participate and to take their chances for the crown.

Day 1 served up 3 races for all classes against the dramatic backdrop of Doha’s stunning buildings. In the Laser Standard Class the performance of the day belongs to the Waleed Al-Sharshani from Qatar who run an unbeaten series of 3 bullets!

There was some great racing action in the Optimist class – as the fleet surged off the start line trying to claim the early lead. All the boats were packed together, ensuring exciting mark roundings, and one on one boat battles.

Doha is taking an active role in the sailing calendar by hosting numerous events and offering exceptional hospitality to all athletes. Due to its supreme weather conditions and excellent organization level, the Qatar Sailing Rowing Federation is seeing a constant development in sailing.

Out on the race course light to medium winds set in to serve another full day with 3 races.

In the Laser Standard Class Waleed Al-Sharshani from Qatar was determined to continue his run of wins in this competition, and he had another excellent day scoring 2 bullets and a third, keeping his pole position over Abdulla from Bahrain.

In the Laser Radial class another Qatari sailor has the lead as Faris AL Bakri with solid performance so far rules the waves with Saeed Al Zaidi from the UAE and Dawood Al Sadiq from Bahrain looking for chances to counter attack.

In Laser 4.7 Khamis Al Wahaibi from Oman keeps the overall lead with Saou Al Naar from Bahrain taking advantage of the lighter winds to outfox Abdulrahman Ajinah from Qatar from the second place.

Another great day’s racing in the Optimist class let the youngsters test their skills. In the game of chasing the favorable side the team from Oman showed its expertise with Zakarixa Al Wahabi and Marwan Al Jabri taking the 2 top places overall

The penultimate day the 2nd edition of the GCC Beach Games signals the final day for the sport of sailing, so all the sailors are focused on putting in a good result in the last three races.

Out on the race track the Optimist sailors were eager to make the best of the last races so the fleet was tighter than usual. Mahmoud Al Hammadi  from the UAE was fast enough to  gain 2 places on the leaderboard to secure the bronze, while two Omani sailors took the tops spots, Zakarixa Al Wahabi  (gold) and Marwan Al Jabri (silver).

In the Laser Radial Class in a last minute attempt for glory Dawood Al Sadiq from Bahrain scored a bullet and a second to secure the gold. The silver went to Qatar and Faris Al Bakri who lost the gold in the final race.

In the laser standard Waleed Al-Sharshani had no problem continuing his good performance to secure the gold medal for the Qatari team.

In the Laser 4.7 gold went to Khamis Al Wahabi from Oman, silver to Saou Al Naar from Bahrain and bronze to Hamza Al Ali from the UAE.

All the winners enjoyed the sound of applause during the medal awards. Big smiles for all the GCC athletes who enjoyed a great competition along with some unique Qatari hospitality.

During the ultimate day of the 2nd GCC Beach Games the action stays close to the source of life, water, as the racing schedule includes the 10K open water swimming contest.

The 10 kilometer open water marathon was included in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and has seen a tremendous development in the GCC region.

In terms of racing techniques the competitors employ the crawl stroke. Pacing is critical for performance. Athletes need to assess their strengths in relation to the race distance and to keep their energy mentally physically till the end. The body is working hard in extraordinary rhythms in a tough environment, which actually dehydrates the athletes. It’s a hard game.

After 4 laps out on the race track it was time for a dramatic photo finish with Mohammed Al Habsi from Oman securing the gold by just 1 second.

But no matter the result all the athletes deserved the warm applause for their attempts after the exhausting race. Thrilling moments for the winners during the medal ceremony who were happy to step up on the podium.

The 2nd GCC Beach Games was a success story due the exceptional organization in all the disciplines of this multi-sport event. The Athletes renewed their friendships and are looking forward to another memorial event. Thanks for watching!”

Icarus Sailing Media

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News presented by Cathy McLean

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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 April 2015 )