Alkass Digital
Ace Qatar duo, Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, have booked their place in the Paris 2024 Games, securing a third consecutive beach volleyball berth in the Olympics for the country, the Qatar Volleyball Association has announced.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics bronze medalists, Cherif and Ahmed have qualified for the Paris Games, thanks to their impressive world ranking. The former world No.1 pair, Cherif and Ahmed are currently ranked 12th in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) standings for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with a total of 8560 points.
In a statement released yesterday, the Qatari Volleyball Federation confirmed the team’s direct qualification for the Olympics.
“The team’s qualification has been approved by the International Federation, making Qatar one of the countries that have directly qualified for the Olympics from the global Olympic ranking,” the statement read.
Under the unwavering support of the Qatar Volleyball Association, beach volleyball has been on the rise over the years, with Cherif and Ahmed highlighting Qatar’s success on the global stage.
After a brief partnership with Ahmed in 2014, Cherif qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics alongside Brazilian-born Jefferson Santos Pereira, and reached the Round of 16. Then in 2018, Cherif and Ahmed teamed up again for the goal of qualifying for Tokyo 2020. Following the reunion, Cherif and Ahmed won the first Asian Games titles for Qatar at the Jakarta 2018 Games, and later at the Hangzhou 2023 Games as well as the AVC Asian Championships. They also won silver medals in the four-a-side tournament at the Doha-hosted ANOC World Beach Games a year later, along with another continental victory.
They came to Tokyo in 2022 as the top-ranked pair, and they lived up to the hype by taking home the bronze medal - another first for Qartar in beach volleyball at the Olympics.
Their accomplishments on the global scene, including the World Championship in Mexico and Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 events, have allowed them to accumulate significant ranking points over the past year, guaranteeing their spot in the Paris Olympics.
In a statement to the Qatar News Agency, the President of the Qatar and West Asian Volleyball Federations Ali Ghanem Al Kuwari credited the achievement to the significant support from Qatari sports officials who provide unlimited backing to volleyball, which helped them achieve significant success. Al Kuwari also highlighted that Cherif and Ahmed have consistently delivered outstanding performances and impressive results, securing their place among the top global rankings.