President of Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) Ali Al Hitmi
Popular Qatar gymnast Ahmed Al Dayani will be one of three home athletes to feature at this month's FIG ART World Cup, it was confirmed yesterday.
Al Dayani will have the company of Ahmed Nabil and Jana Elkeky in the home team's three-member squad, President of Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) Ali Al Hitmi said.
The March 22-25 event will be held at Aspire Academy.
"This will be a great event for our gymnasts. The Qatar squad has been preparing well and we expect them to shine at the home event," Al Hitmi said.
"We will be hosting the 10th edition of the event and every year we field our own gymnasts. We have made significant progress over the years," Al Hitmi said.
"Our gymnasts know they will be up against the best in the world but we feel this is a great way to learn," he said.
"At the same time, we will wait for good results from our gymnasts," he said.
Al Himti said he will be addressing the local and international media on the event tomorrow.
"The media has been and is one of our key partners in our success," Al Hitmi said.
"Our event gets wide-ranging international exposure and that is great for us as we build-up for the World Championships next year," he said.
More than 240 gymnasts will feature in the 10th edition of the FIG ART World Cup, the highest number of entries in the event's history.
Al Hitmi said: "The distinct change in this year's edition will be the participation of gymnasts from five Arab nations including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan and Morocco."
Last week, Al Hitmi met with members of the organizing committee assigned to carry out a series of tasks related to the high profile FIG event.
"We are looking forward to the event as we have been handling this popular event for the last nine years," Al Hitmi said.
"I can tell you with confidence that this event is a magnet for top gymnasts. It is an event that often sets the tone for the gymnasts for the rest of the season," he said.
"Every aspect of this event is of a standard that you see at World Championships and the Olympics," he said.
"For the 10th edition, we have sent our invitations to members of the international gymnastics family. We expect nothing short of a gymnastics gala this time," he said,
At the pre-event press conference tomorrow, Al Hitmi will be joined by Abeer Ali Abdullah Al Buainain, Mohammed Abdullah Maraghi and Anis Mustafa Sauod.
