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Saudi woman wins gold at first Asian Camel Racing Championship

Saudi woman wins gold at first Asian Camel Racing Championship
A Saudi jockey on Thursday became the first winner of the Asian Camel Racing Championship in the women’s category. (Supplied)
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Updated 08 May 2025
Arab News
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Saudi woman wins gold at first Asian Camel Racing Championship

Saudi woman wins gold at first Asian Camel Racing Championship
  • Jockey Kholoud Al-Shammari races to victory on Bashar
  • Countryman Abdulmajeed Al-Huwaiti takes silver in men’s category
Updated 08 May 2025
Arab News
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ABU DHABI: A Saudi jockey on Thursday became the first winner of the Asian Camel Racing Championship in the women’s category.

Kholoud Al-Shammari raced to victory and the gold medal on Bashar at the Al-Wathba track in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She was followed home by countrywoman Abeer bint Ahmed Hakami, aboard Namrood.

In the men’s race, the Kingdom’s Abdulmajeed Al-Huwaiti steered his mount, Uboor, to a second place finish.

Saudi Camel Federation President Prince Fahd bin Jalawi congratulated Al-Shammari on her victory in what he called an “important continental tournament.”

He also praised Hakami and Al-Huwaiti for their achievements.

All three riders’ performances reflected the “high level and strong competitiveness of Saudi camel racing,” he said.

“This success comes amid the great support and attention from the wise leadership of the Kingdom for the sports sector in general and camel racing in particular, in recognition of its role in preserving cultural heritage and enhancing Saudis’ presence on both the regional and international sports stage.”

The prince also congratulated Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal for his support for all sports.

Topics: Asian Camel Racing Championship Kholoud Al-Shammari Saudi Camel Federation

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UAE move closer to World Cup as late goals seal win over Oman

UAE move closer to World Cup as late goals seal win over Oman
Updated 21 sec ago
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UAE move closer to World Cup as late goals seal win over Oman

UAE move closer to World Cup as late goals seal win over Oman
Updated 21 sec ago
Caio Lucas hit the fortuitous winner seven minutes from time
The win moves the UAE to the cusp of their first appearance at the World Cup since 1990

DOHA: The United Arab Emirates struck late goals through Marcus Meloni and Caio Lucas to earn a 2-1 win over Oman in Doha on Saturday as Cosmin Olaroiu’s side battled back to keep their hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup alive.
Caio Lucas hit the fortuitous winner seven minutes from time after Meloni scored with a 76th minute header to cancel out an own goal by Kouame Kouadio that gave Oman a 12th minute lead.
The win moves the UAE to the cusp of their first appearance at the World Cup since 1990 with Olaroiu’s team only needing a draw away to Qatar on Tuesday to progress as winners of Group A in the fourth phase of Asia’s preliminaries.
The Omanis threatened in the early exchanges when Issam Al-Sabhi stole possession inside the UAE half only for the attack to fizzle out when his shot was eventually blocked. But it was not long before Carlos Queiroz’s side had taken the lead.
Ali Al-Busaidi’s cross from the left flew across the area to the feet of Amjad Al-Harthi whose shot took a deflection off Kouadio’s heel to beat goalkeeper Khalid Eissa low to his left.
Harib Abdalla’s introduction at the start of the second half injected much-needed urgency into the UAE attack, the forward twice calling keeper Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini into action.
With 14 minutes remaining the UAE deservedly pulled level, Meloni rising highest to meet substitute Ali Saleh’s inswinging cross from the left to beat Al-Mukhaini.
Seven minutes later Caio Lucas scored the winner, sending in a cross from the left that swung toward goal, bouncing on the turf inside the six-yard box and skipping beyond the keeper to earn UAE all three points.
The loss ends Oman’s hopes of automatic qualification but the Gulf state could still advance to another round of playoffs if the UAE defeat the Qataris by a large enough margin.
Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Jordan have already taken six of Asia’s eight guaranteed spots at next year’s 48-team World Cup.

Norway sweep Israel aside 5-0 as Haaland scores hat-trick

Norway sweep Israel aside 5-0 as Haaland scores hat-trick
Updated 11 October 2025
Reuters
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Norway sweep Israel aside 5-0 as Haaland scores hat-trick

Norway sweep Israel aside 5-0 as Haaland scores hat-trick
  • Norway have now won all six of their Group I matches, boasting a goal difference of plus 26
  • Haaland marked a special milestone by netting his 50th goal for Norway
Updated 11 October 2025
Reuters

OSLO: Norway secured a commanding 5-0 win at home to Israel in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday, as Erling Haaland struck a hat-trick to celebrate his 50th international goal and helped move his side to the brink of a place at next year’s tournament.

Norway had tightened security ahead of the match due to scheduled protests, closing off the stands around a section of roughly 100 Israel supporters waving national flags.

Norwegian fans are divided over Israel’s participation in the World Cup qualifying competition due to the war in Gaza.

Norway have now won all six of their Group I matches, boasting a goal difference of plus 26 ahead of their remaining two fixtures against Estonia and second-placed Italy, who sit nine points behind with two games in hand.

Despite missing a twice-taken penalty early on, Haaland found his rhythm, scoring once in the first half and twice after the break to reach his 50-goal milestone and finishing the night with an incredible 51 in 46 internationals.

Israel added to their own misery with two own goals in the first half from Anan Khalaili and Idan Nachmias.

HIGH SECURITY

Ahead of Saturday’s game, hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered to protest outside the Norwegian parliament, with many wearing the jerseys of the Palestine national team.

Marching toward Ullevaal Stadium with Palestinian flags and flares, the protesters gathered outside, vowing to continue until kickoff as nearby buildings displayed pro-Palestinian banners hanging from balconies.

As Israel’s anthem played, loud boos echoed around the stadium, while large Palestinian flags and a banner reading “Let children live” were displayed in the stands.

On the pitch, Haaland came close to scoring early on when Israel goalkeeper Daniel Peretz showcased his brilliance. First, he produced a sharp reflex save, then denied Haaland from the penalty spot twice after the kick was ordered to be retaken.

The match was briefly halted when a pitch invader ran onto the field, capping off a chaotic opening 10 minutes.

Relief finally came for the home fans in the 18th when Alexander Sorloth broke down the flank and sent in a low cross that deflected off Israel forward Khalaili and looped into the net, giving the Norwegians a deserved lead.

In the 27th minute Haaland made up for his penalty miss and doubled the lead after a through pass from Sorloth.

A minute later Norway went three goals up as a panicked clearance from Peretz struck his defender Nachmias and rolled into the net for Israel’s second own goal of the match.

HAALAND REACHES FIFTY-GOALS MILESTONE

In the second half, Haaland marked a special milestone by netting his 50th goal for Norway, heading in Antonio Nusa’s cross in the 63rd. Nine minutes later an almost identical move saw Haaland score again to complete his hat-trick and seal a memorable night for the Manchester City striker.

The home fans stayed behind after the match, singing ‘Norway will go to the World Cup’ to the tune of Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It,’ as they celebrated in the belief that the long wait since 1998 to reach the finals again is nearly over.

“We still have two matches left to go. It’s great to execute such a solid game today,” Nusa told TV2. “We just have to enjoy it. There’s still a lot of work to do but I’m just enjoying it.”

Topics: Norway Israel 2026 FIFA World Cup

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Pro-Palestinian march in Oslo ahead of Israel v Norway match

Pro-Palestinian march in Oslo ahead of Israel v Norway match
Updated 46 min 7 sec ago
AFP
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Pro-Palestinian march in Oslo ahead of Israel v Norway match

Pro-Palestinian march in Oslo ahead of Israel v Norway match
  • Many demonstrators wore Palestinian keffiyeh shawls draped over their shoulders and waved Palestinian flags
  • “The message today is to say we give the red card to Israel, to apartheid, and to genocide,” said Line Khateeb, the head of the Norwegian Committee for Palestine
Updated 46 min 7 sec ago
AFP

OSLO: Hundreds of people attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Oslo on Saturday ahead of Israel’s World Cup qualifier against Norway, chanting “Free Palestine” to protest against Israel’s “genocide,” AFP journalists reported.

Many demonstrators wore Palestinian keffiyeh shawls draped over their shoulders and waved Palestinian flags as they gathered in the city center before walking in a procession to the Ullevaal stadium.

Smoke flares were lit but the atmosphere remained calm.

“The message today is to say we give the red card to Israel, to apartheid, and to genocide,” said Line Khateeb, the head of the Norwegian Committee for Palestine, one of the organizers of the protest.

“We do not accept football being used to whitewash war crimes, as we see today when Israel participates in the World Cup qualification games,” she told AFP.

Demonstrators carried banners reading “Exclude Israel from International Football,” “From the River to the Sea,” “Red Card to Israel” and “It’s a Genocide, Not a War.”

“Israel has been committing genocide for the last two years and killing indiscriminately, doing the most horrible thing that could be imaginable,” one of the demonstrators, Munib Sarwar, a 40-year-old engineer, told AFP.

“We need to show solidarity with the children and the people of Gaza who have been terrorized for the last two years,” he added.

Organizers decided to go ahead with the demonstration despite the Gaza ceasefire deal reached Thursday between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

“It’s not the end of the occupation. It doesn’t mean the West Bank is free. It doesn’t mean Palestine is free. We need to keep pushing and putting sanctions on Israel to hold them accountable in order to have a proper free Palestine,” Khateeb said.

Heavy security was in place for the match.

Dozens of police officers on horseback and others in riot gear were posted near the stadium, an AFP journalist at the scene saw.

The head of the Norwegian football association, Lise Klaveness, recently said she was pushing “for Israel to be sanctioned.”

“Personally, I think that if Russia is excluded, Israel should be as well,” she said in a Norwegian podcast.

Several days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, UEFA and FIFA agreed to exclude Russian teams and clubs from all international competitions, a sanction that remains in place.

The Norwegian Football Association has previously said it would donate the proceeds from the ticket sales for Saturday’s match to Doctors Without Borders.

With five victories in five matches, Norway top Group I of European qualifying with 15 points ahead of Italy and Israel, who both have nine points.

Topics: War on Gaza pro-Palestine Norway Israel 2026 FIFA World Cup

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Mbappe and Konate out of France’s World Cup qualifier in Iceland

Mbappe and Konate out of France’s World Cup qualifier in Iceland
Updated 11 October 2025
AFP
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Mbappe and Konate out of France’s World Cup qualifier in Iceland

Mbappe and Konate out of France’s World Cup qualifier in Iceland
  • Mbappe took two knocks during Friday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan
  • Liverpool defender Konate remained on the bench with a right thigh problem
Updated 11 October 2025
AFP

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate have been ruled out of Monday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier in Iceland where France could book their ticket to next year’s tournament.

Already suffering from a “small niggle” in his right ankle from playing for Real Madrid, Mbappe took two knocks during Friday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan in Paris, where he opened the scoring but was substituted before the end of the match.

Liverpool defender Konate remained on the bench with a right thigh problem with his place against Iceland now taken by Marseille’s Benjamin Pavard.

Mbappe’s absence adds to the long list of forward unavailable for October’s World Cup qualifiers, which includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram and Bradley Barcola.

After returning to the Clairefontaine training ground on Friday night, “the French team captain spoke with (coach) Didier Deschamps who acknowledged his absence,” the French federation (FFF) said in a statement.

Mbappe “has been released to his club (Real Madrid) and will not be replaced,” the FFF added, confirming hours later that Konate “has returned to his club’s availability.”

Konate had joined the team with a slight injury and “underwent treatment and a specific protocol but will not be able to play Monday in Reykjavik,” the FFF said.

Mbappe scored on the stroke of half-time against Azerbaijan and was then struck by a tackle from Rustam Ahmedzade. He took another knock to the same ankle late in the game, and was replaced by Florian Thauvin.

“He has a sore ankle and he took a knock there. He preferred to come off; the pain was quite significant,” Deschamps said after the French victory.

Adrien Rabiot and the substitute Thauvin were also on the scoresheet as Deschamps’s team remain unbeaten after three games and top of Group D.

Les Bleus will book their passage to the United States, Canada and Mexico next year if they win in Iceland on Monday and Ukraine fail to beat Azerbaijan.

Topics: Kylian Mbappe Ibrahima Konate France 2026 World Cup

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Coco Gauff overcomes 7 double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini and reach Wuhan final

Coco Gauff overcomes 7 double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini and reach Wuhan final
Updated 11 October 2025
AP
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Coco Gauff overcomes 7 double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini and reach Wuhan final

Coco Gauff overcomes 7 double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini and reach Wuhan final
  • Gauff edged Paolini winning the battle of converted breaks seven-to-five
  • The third-ranked Gauff fought back from three breaks in the second set
Updated 11 October 2025
AP

WUHAN: Coco Gauff had more struggles with her serve but overcame seven double faults to beat Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-3 and reach the Wuhan Open final on Saturday.

With both top-10 players struggling with their service games, Gauff edged Paolini winning the battle of converted breaks seven-to-five.

The third-ranked Gauff fought back from three breaks in the second set and won the final four games to advance to the final.

Gauff, who changed her serving coach in August, leads the women’s circuit this season with 378 double faults, over 120 more than the next player.

Fifth-ranked Paolini had eliminated Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faces Jessica Pegula in the other semifinal on Saturday.

Topics: Coco Gauff Jasmine Paolini Wuhan Open

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