Doha: As the countdown begins for the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympics (Paris 2024), scheduled from July 26 to August 11, Team Qatar athletes eagerly await the event, aiming to continue the successes and achievements of Qatari sports.

Representing Qatar in this edition of the Olympics are 14 athletes competing in five different sports, all aspiring to deliver top performances and achieve commendable results in the world’s largest sporting event.

Athletics holds the most prominent presence for Qatar in this participation, with eight athletes, led by the world champion Mutaz Barshim, who won the silver medal at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games, and the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He aims to retain his Olympic gold in what might be his last participation in the games. Alongside him is the hurdler Abderrahman Samba, who won the bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, and his teammate Bassem Hemeida, who secured his Olympic qualification by winning the gold medal at the 25th Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, and Ismail Dawood, who qualified during the international athletics competition in South Africa.

The athletics team also features Abubakar Hayder in the 800 meters, who earned his Olympic spot by winning first place in the Spanish Championship, Ammar Ismail in the 400 meters, Saif Mohammed in the pole vault, and Shahad Mohamed in the women’s 400 meters.

Qatar will also compete in shooting, represented by Saeed Abusharib, who qualified for Paris 2024 by winning the silver medal in the men’s individual trap event at the Asian Shooting Championships in Changwon, South Korea, and Rashid Saleh Al Athba, who earned his spot by winning the bronze medal in the World Skeet Championships in Osijek, Croatia, and a gold medal at the Asian Championships in South Korea.

Weightlifter Fares Ibrahim, who won the gold medal in the 96 kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, returns to compete in Paris 2024, aiming to stand on the podium once again after earning his qualification by winning the silver medal in the 102 kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships held in Saudi Arabia.

The Qatari beach volleyball team, consisting of the duo Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, will make their third consecutive appearance in the Paris 2024 Olympics after qualifying through the Olympic world rankings announced by the International Volleyball Federation, seeking to achieve another milestone following their bronze medal win in Tokyo 2020.

Team Qatar also includes swimmer Abdulaziz Al Obaidly, who will compete in the 200-meter breaststroke, aiming to perform admirably and establish his presence among the world’s elite athletes at the Olympic event.

Barshim and Shahad have been chosen to carry the national flag at the opening ceremony in Paris.