Doha: Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), organisers of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) inaugural World Beach Games, are confident that spectators will come and enjoy the six-day event which will take place in four different locations in Qatar.
Jaseem Rashid Al Buenain, vice-President and General Director of the Beach Games and also the Secretary-General of QOC, said: “Spectators will have free access for the first World Beach Games. All spectators are more than welcome to attend and enjoy this experience. I’m sure we don’t need to have any plan because it (Katara Beach) is an amazing place to enjoy sport.”
Katara Beach, is one of the four venues for the event that starts today.
The event kicks off with preliminary rounds of the men’s and women’s handball at Al Gharafa Stadium while the men’s and women’s beach soccer action will take place at Katara Beach.
The other two venues for the Games are Aspire Zone and the Legtafiya Canal.
The official Opening Ceremony will take place at Katara Amphitheatre tomorrow.
Katara will host 10 of the 14 sports and disciplines at the World Beach Games, including the handball and volleyball finals.
Among the 1,300 athletes from 97 countries due to take part are the London 2012 Olympic silver medallist in the 10 kilometres open water swimming, Haley Anderson of the United States, and Georgia’s Dato Marsagishvili, winner of a bronze medal in wrestling’s 84kg category at the same Games.
The open water swimming is also set to feature 2019 world champions Kristóf Rasovszky of Hungary and Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil.
