Doha, July 18 (QNA) - As the countdown begins for the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympics (Paris 2024) scheduled from July 26 to Aug. 11, Qatari athletes eagerly anticipate the event, aiming to continue the successes and achievements of Qatari sports at all levels.

Representing Qatar in this edition of the Olympics are 14 athletes competing in five different sports, all aspiring to deliver top performances and achieve honorable results in the world's largest sporting event.

Athletics holds the most prominent presence for Qatar in this participation, with eight athletes, led by the world champion Mutaz Barshim, who won the silver medal in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, and the gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He aims to retain his Olympic gold in what might be his last participation in the games. Alongside him is the hurdler Abderrahman Samba, who won the bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, and his teammate Bassem Hemeida, who secured his Olympic qualification by winning the gold medal at the 25th Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, and Ismail Dawood, who qualified during the international athletics competition in South Africa.

The athletics team also includes Abu Bakr Haider in the 800 meters, who earned his Olympic spot by winning first place in the Spanish Championship, Ammar Ismail in the 400 meters, Saif Mohammed in the pole vault, and Shahad Mohamed in the women's 400 meters.

Qatar will also compete in shooting, represented by Saeed Abusharib, who qualified for Paris 2024 by winning the silver medal in the men's individual trap event at the Asian Shooting Championships in Changwon, Korea, and Rashid Saleh Al Athba, who earned his spot by winning the bronze medal in the World Skeet Championships in Osijek, Croatia, and the gold medal at the Asian Shooting Championships in Changwon, Korea.

Weightlifter Fares Ibrahim Hassouna, who won the gold medal in the 96 kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, returns to compete in Paris 2024, aiming to stand on the podium once again after earning his qualification by winning the silver medal in the 102 kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships held in Saudi Arabia.

The Qatari beach volleyball team, consisting of the duo Sherif Younis and Ahmed Tijan, will make their third consecutive appearance in the Paris 2024 Olympics after qualifying through the Olympic world rankings announced by the International Volleyball Federation, seeking to achieve another milestone following their bronze medal win in Tokyo 2020.

Qatar's participation in the Olympics also includes swimmer Abdulaziz Al-Obaidly, who will compete in the 200-meter breaststroke, hoping to perform admirably and establish his presence among the world's elite athletes at the Olympic event.

Mutaz Barshim and Shahad Mohamed have been chosen to carry the Qatari flag at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Qatar achieved an unprecedented milestone at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by winning three medals. Two gold medals by Mutaz Barshim in the high jump and Fares Ibrahim in the 96 kg weightlifting, and a bronze medal by the beach volleyball team of Ahmed Tijan and Sherif Younis, ranking first in the Arab world. (QNA)