Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Vice Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Games Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain with the podium winners of the men’s 200m individual medley, won by Qatar's Mohamed Mahmoud.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar made a strong start to the GCC Games Doha 2026 after home athletes delivered medals across swimming, bowling and taekwondo, while also producing competitive displays in the rest of the appearances on the opening day of competition yesterday.
Swimmers delivered an impressive show in front of the home fans at the Hamad Aquatic Centre, winning three gold medals and two silvers to kick off the Games in style.
Saadeddin Saadeddin claimed Qatar’s first gold after winning the men’s 800m freestyle in a Games record time of 7:57.54 secs, while Bahrain’s Robert Bonsall finished second and Kuwait’s Saud Alshamroukh took bronze.
Mohamed Mahmoud added another gold for the hosts by topping the men’s 200m individual medley in 2:03.02, also setting a Games record ahead of Bahrain’s Saud Ghali and Kuwait’s Khaled Alotaibi.
Qatar's Mohammad Shalan (second right) secured a bronze medal in the men’s -80kg taekwondo competition.
Mahmoud expressed pride after winning gold for the national team, describing the achievement as the result of months of hard preparation and strong teamwork.
The 22-year-old revealed that he and teammate Saad had been training in France since September as part of an extended camp ahead of the GCC Games Doha 2026, adding that the home support and high-level organization had helped deliver his best-ever performance.
The Qatari swimmer said the victory also came with a new Gulf record and a personal best time, but stressed that his mission at the Games was far from over with three more races and relay events still ahead. Mahmoud said Qatar’s strong showing in the pool reflected the quality of the team’s preparation and expressed confidence that more gold medals and new Gulf and Arab records could follow during the remainder of the competition.
Later, Qatar’s third gold came through Emile Fouzai, who won the men’s 200m butterfly in 2:02.20 ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Alzaki and Kuwait’s Mohammad Alotaibi.
In the men’s 50m freestyle, Qatar’s Ali Tamer Hassan settled for silver after clocking 22.69 seconds, finishing narrowly behind Saudi Arabia’s Emad Addin Zaben, who won gold with a Games record of 22.64. Bahrain’s Mikhail Arkhangelskiy claimed bronze.
Abdalla Elghamry secured Qatar’s second silver medal after finishing runner-up in the men’s 100m backstroke with a time of 58.32 seconds behind Saudi Arabia’s Ali Alessa, who set a Games record of 57.39.
Qatar won two more medals after Bader Alsada claimed silver and Talal Almarri secured bronze in the men’s singles bowling event at the Qatar Bowling Center. Alsada finished with 1275 points, while Almarri scored 1260 points to complete a double podium finish for the hosts. Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman Alkheliwi won the gold medal after topping the standings with 1295 points.
Taekwondo players also contributed to the Qatari medal tally, with Maram Fatnassi winning silver in the women’s -67kg category, while Mohammad Shalan and Hassan Al Nuaimi secured bronze medals in the men’s -80kg and -58kg events respectively.
Elsewhere, Qatar’s star cueist Ali Al-Obaidli and compatriot Bashar Husain recorded mixed results but stayed on course for a podium finish in the men’s 10-ball singles billiards competition at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation Hall.
Qatar's Ali Al-Obaidli in action during the 10-ball singles billiards competition.
Al-Obaidli opened with a 7-5 victory over Kuwait’s Sulaiman Gholoum before edging compatriot Bashar Husain 6-4, but later suffered a narrow 6-7 defeat to the UAE’s Mahmoud Sharif. Bashar Husain, meanwhile, bounced back from his loss to Al-Obaidli by defeating Bahrain’s Husain Yaqoob 6-4, before going down 6-7 to the UAE’s Khalid Alzarooni in another closely contested match.
Al-Obaidli remained positive despite a narrow 6-7 defeat to the UAE’s Sharif, saying luck played a role in the contest and expressing confidence about bouncing back in the remaining matches. Al-Obaidli said he had led 5-2 before Sharif mounted a strong comeback, adding that he missed key opportunities in the tiebreak. The Qatari player stressed that setbacks are part of the sport, noting that he has previously recovered from losses to reach finals and win titles.
Al-Obaidli also praised the level of competition at the GCC Games Doha 2026 and highlighted the spirit of unity under the event’s slogan “One Gulf, One Heart,” saying the gathering of Gulf athletes was the tournament’s biggest success.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s women’s 3x3 basketball team secured their place in the semi-finals at Al Gharafa Sports Hall after winning both their group stage matches.
Action during the women's 3x3 basketball match between Qatar and Oman.
At the end of the opening day, Saudi Arabia moved to the top of the GCC Games Doha 2026 medal tally with four gold, three silver and one bronze medal for a total of eight medals. Hosts Qatar sit second with 10 overall medals, including three gold, four silver and three bronze medals. Bahrain occupy third place with six medals, while the UAE, Kuwait and Oman complete the standings.
