Doha: The preliminary rounds of the men's event of the Qatar Grand Prix Fencing Championship 2023 were successfully concluded at the Aspire Dome on Saturday, with Egypt's Mahmoud Mohsen (the world No. 181) emerging as the only Arab qualifier into the round of 64.
The 27-year-old Cairo resident Mohsen will be joining World No. 16 Houssam Elkord of Morocco, who like all the top-32 fencers got a bye into the round of 64, as the two Arab representatives at the three-day epée competition on the final day on Sunday.
Just like the women's event on Friday, almost all the top-ranked male fencers advanced into the next round of the one-series, nine-city International Fencing Federation (FIE)-organized senior competition at the expense of their lower-ranked counterparts.
The Qatari team, led by world No. 883 Jaber Al-Fadaaq, gave a good account of itself despite not advancing into the next round.
Al-Fadaaq, the highest-ranked Qatari fencer in the competition, had the best result for the hosts on the day, and he came close to a round of 64 qualification after defeating India's Udaivir Singh 15-9 in the first round, only for him to suffer defeat by the same scoreline at the hands of Hong Kong's Ho Tin Ng in the next round, dashing his hopes of advancement.
His teammates Mohammed Al Oulan (ranked 903), Mohammed Al Hazaa (ranked 904), Meshaal Al Qahtani (ranked 915), Youssef Abdeltawab, Muhammad Abdulali, and Abdulrahman Al Jadra, however, also gave a good account of themselves despite suffering defeats at the hands of their higher-ranked opponents.
Speaking about the tournament, Khaled Al Suwaid, the tournament director, said that the competition has witnessed great success on all levels, including the organization and every technical aspect of it.
"We've received great applause from the International Fencing Federation (FIE) for the good organization and preparation of the competition, which has witnessed the participation of the best fencers in the world from 52 countries. "We look forward to a grand finale on Sunday, and we believe everyone will witness great performances from the athletes," he said.
Qatar Grand Prix Fencing Championship 2023 will come to a close tomorrow, January 29, with the final events in both the women and men categories.
Starting with the round of 64 at 5:30 p.m. (Qatar time), the competition will then advance from there into the finals, with the final of the men's category rounding up the three-day event.
Points collected from the $22,000 total prize money event will count in the Olympic qualification race for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Winners in both categories get $5000 each, while the second-place finisher walks away with $3000. The semi-finalists will each earn $1500.
Source: Qatar Olympic Committee