Doha, Qatar, July 22, 2024: Qatar’s sole female athlete at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Shahad Mohamed, will carry the Qatar flag at the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26.
Qatar will be represented by 14 athletes in five sports – athletics, volleyball (beach), shooting, weightlifting and swimming.
Mohamed, a sprinter, will share the duties of carrying the national flag with star high jumper Mutaz Ezza Barshim, a seasoned Olympian taking part in his fourth Olympic Games.
Barshim, 33, memorably shared the high jump gold medal with Italian Gianmarco Tamberi at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after both cleared 2.37 metres. At the 2016 Rio Games and 2012 London Olympics, Barshim won silver medals.
A beacon of inspiration, Barshim will lead the Qatar team as he makes his fourth consecutive appearance at the Olympics.
Team Qatar medal hopes will also be carried on the shoulders of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan. The pair won the bronze medal in men’s beach volleyball and will be aiming higher in Paris.
The President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, applauded the volleyball team and praised their years of hard work.
Sheikh Joaan wrote on platform X: “Our national beach volleyball team has qualified for the third Olympics in a row and it is a result of hard work and perseverance.”
Cherif and Ahmed will open their campaign on Saturday, July 27, when they meet Italians Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava in their opening Pool A match to be held at the foot of the iconic Eiffel Tower.
Qatar will also be pinning medal hopes on weightlifter Fares Ibrahim who made history at the Tokyo 2020 Games when he won Qatar’s first Olympic gold medal in weightlifting (96kg).
Qatar won a record three medals in Tokyo 2020 – golds from Barshim and Ibrahim and bronze from Cherif and Ahmed – placing the country at the top among Arab nations in the Olympics.
