Doha: Abdulrahman Al Naggar, a teenage table tennis star from the Aspire Academy in Doha, will represent Qatar at the Youth Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Thailand later this month.
The 16-year-old was served with this opportunity of a lifetime after having been scouted as a potential athlete while at primary school. Following which he quickly garnered a reputation as two of the best table tennis talents in the Gulf region.
Later this month Al Naggar will be joined by Jassim Al Sanadi, who is ranked the fifth best player in Qatar and also from Aspire Academy, as the pair prepares to represent Qatar on the senior national team at the World Championships in Japan.
For Aspire Academy, both national team selections are a testament to the behind-the-scenes efforts put into improving Qatar’s table tennis talents.
Furthermore, as winners of the GCC Table Tennis Championship in 2013, Qatar’s national squad is now recognised internationally as one of the fastest-improving teams in the world.
Praising the boys for their hard work, Aspire Academy’s head table tennis coach, Zlato Novakovic, said: “I’m delighted to see both these young men rewarded for their efforts with a call-up to the Qatar national team.”
“Al Naggar and Al Sanadi are exceptional talents who both work incredibly hard each and every day to achieve their success,” he added. “With a total of 15 current and former Aspire Academy students now competing for the Qatari national team, I believe the pair’s selection demonstrates the ongoing success of our sports programme here at Aspire.”
The Peninsula
