DOHA, 7 December 2006 — Saudi Arabia go for a sweep of preliminary matches in the Asian Games volleyball competition when they face Lebanon today at the Al-Rayyan Indoor Hall.
A win in the 2 p.m. match sends the Saudi spikers to a quarterfinal showdown as the top qualifiers from Pool A with Asia’s No. 1 Japan.
The other Saudi teams seeing action today are handball and bowling as well as shooting that faces a long day at the Lusail Shooting Range.
Although the athletics program gets going today not one from the 33-strong Saudi team will be in competition as their events start tomorrow yet.
Depending on how they fare the shooters have an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule at LSR.
Entered in the men’s skeet qualifying round are Saied Al-Mutairi, 38, Majed Al-Tamimi, 35, and Abdulaziz Al-Hamlan,40, in the the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions qualifying are Khalid Al-Anazi, 36, Abdulla Al-Bogami, 31, and Khalid Al-Zamil,37.
Mohammed Al-Otaibi, coach and delegation official from the Saudi Shooting Federation, said his team managed to bring good records considering the high quality competition they are up against especially countries like China and Korea .
Many of them are old but this Games gives them the experience and skills, he added.
The team, according to Al-Otaibi, won a number of medals in previous championships. They participated at the Arab Championship in Eygpt and entered training camp there for about a week before coming to the Asian Games.
“They are very skilled especially since some had been shooting as a hobby for more than 15 years, so we wish them all the best of luck and we do have big hopes on their performance,” he said.
The cynosure of attention after winning the first gold and bronze medal for Saudi Arabia, the bowlers continue their medal hunt when they take to the lanes at 9 a.m. today for the first block of six games in the five-man team event.
The handball team play Syria in the men’s main round Group E match at Al-Gharrafa Indoor Hall at 8 p.m.
Meantime, Bader Al-Saeed, general secretary of the Saudi Arabian Anti Doping Committee, denied local newspaper reports that five athletes tested positive for steroids and were kicked out of the Games.
“This is not true at all, “ Al-Saeed told Arab News adding none of the players were banned from competition and the ones reported by local newspapers competed today without any problems and were not guilty of doping.
“Ït is true some were sick and had to take medication but they were not breaking any rules or regulations,” he said.
