Qatar Fencers Aim to Make a Mark at Asian Games

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, September 10, 2026

Qatar’s fencing team, consisting of nine athletes and guided by an experienced coaching staff, is intensively preparing through international training camps ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Building on recent successes at regional and international events, the team aims to place among the top four in Asia and compete for medals at the Games.

Qatar’s fencing team is preparing to compete at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with growing confidence and ambition. The delegation includes nine athletes: Ali Turki Awida, Khalid Arif Hussein, Abdullah Ismail Khalifa, Abdulrahman Bourghrib, Abdulrahman Al Jadra, Mohammed Abdulali, Yousef Abdul Tawab, Ali Al Khalif, and Isabelle Bettadini, the team’s sole female fencer. The squad is led by Zamel Al Shammari, a board member of the Qatar Fencing Federation, with coaching provided by Ines Boubakri, Alvaro Felipe Monteiro, and Hugues Thierry Dergal.

The preparation for the Asian Games has been intensive and international in scope. The men’s team trained at Aspire Academy in Doha from August 23 to 29, while the women’s team completed a camp in Italy from August 17 to 25. Both groups will reconvene in Tokyo from September 13 to 20 for a final training phase before the competitions begin.

The Aspire camp was notable not only for its role in conditioning but also for its size and diversity, hosting 66 fencers from countries including the Netherlands, Greece, Argentina, Malaysia, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia, alongside Qatari athletes and academy students. Among the participants were prominent competitors such as Saudi Arabia’s Khalifa Al Amiri, who secured bronze in the epee event at the recent World Championships in Hong Kong, and Tristan Tullen of the Netherlands, an Olympian and winner of the Doha Grand Prix earlier this year. The camp featured sixteen coaches conducting twelve sessions over six days, offering the Qatari team exposure to a wide range of fencing styles encompassing European, Asian, and Arab influences.

Khalid Suwaid, senior administrative expert at the Qatar Fencing Federation, emphasized the competitive goals ahead. “The aim is not just to participate but to break into the top four teams in Asia and contend for medals,” he stated.

Qatar has consistently fielded fencing teams at the Asian Games since its debut at the 2006 event on home soil. The team has participated in the last four editions held in Guangzhou, Incheon, Jakarta-Palembang, and Hangzhou. Recent achievements underline the nation’s progress: at the Under-23 Asian Fencing Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Qatar’s epee team captured silver after narrowly losing to Uzbekistan. The team also earned four medals at the 2023 World Combat Games in Riyadh, including gold in the men’s foil team event. In 2025, Qatar secured 12 medals at the West Asian Championships and added team foil gold at the Arab Championships in Bahrain. The team’s momentum continued at the 2026 Gulf Games in Doha, where it took home both gold and silver in foil events.

With a blend of international training and growing competitive experience, Qatar’s fencing delegation is positioning itself as a serious contender at the upcoming Asian Games.

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