Qatar swimmers win three gold, two silver as GCC Games begin in Doha

“Qatar’s swimmers delivered an impressive performance on the opening day of the GCC Games Doha 2026, winning three gold medals and two silvers at the Hamad Aquatic Centre Tuesday. Saadeddin claimed Qatar’s first gold after winning the men’s 800m freestyle in a Games record time of 7:57.54 secs. Bahrain’s Robert Bonsall finished second, while 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 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, 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. Meanwhile, Qatar’s men made an unbeaten start in the 3x3 basketball competition at Al Gharafa Sports Hall. The hosts defeated the UAE 22-9 before overcoming Bahrain 21-15 in Pool A action. Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait 22-16, while Bahrain later defeated Kuwait 21-10. The UAE edged Saudi Arabia 15-13 in overtime. In the women’s competition, Qatar opened with a 15-10 victory over Oman before edging Kuwait 14-13 in overtime. Kuwait had earlier defeated Oman 13-12 after overtime. Elsewhere in Pool B, Saudi Arabia beat the UAE 19-12, while Bahrain defeated the UAE 18-9 and later overcame Saudi Arabia 17-12. Competitions are being staged across Qatar’s state-of-the-art sporting venues, providing athletes with world-class conditions to perform at their best. The venues include Aspire Dome, the Women’s Sports Hall, Hamad Aquatic Centre, Qatar Sports Club, the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation Hall, Al Gharafa Sports Club, Lusail Shooting Range, Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, Qatar Bowling Federation Hall and Duhail Arena.

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