Qatar’s scenic Katara Cultural Village will be added as a new venue to the FIVB World Tour next month when it hosts the premier 4-star Katara Beach Volleyball Cup 2018.
Fourteen out of top 16 world-ranked pairs are among the teams that would contest for top honours, big prize money and valuable ranking points in the event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, scheduled from March 6 to 10.
Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al Sulaiti, Katara Cultural Village Foundation General Manager and Tournament Director, signed the agreement with Qatar Volleyball Association President Ali Ghanim al Kuwari, to organise the tournament, the one of its in the Middle East. Also present during the press conference were Darwish Ahmed al Shebani, Katara Cultural Foundation Marketing Director, and Mohammed Salem al Kuwari, QVA Beach Volleyball Commission Vice-President.
“We’ve a vast experience of hosting international events at the Katara and we know that we’ve been entrusted with a big responsibility by the Qatar Volleyball Association for holding the Katara Beach Volleyball Cup 2018.
“It has attracted top players of the world and it will certainly bring more value and importance to our profile,” Dr Khalid added.
The hosting agreement is right now for just one year but there is a high probability of extending it another two years or so. “At the moment, we’ve signed the contract to organise the four-star event for a year but we are highly optimistic that the Katara Centre would continue to be the venue of this premier event for more years to come,” Dr Khalid said.
The tournament director informed that the Katara Cultural Foundation is also organizing the Halal Qatar Festival (March 2 to 10). We have visitors to it from all over the world and the Katara Beach Volleyball Cup would be a part of the festival, which is aimed at reviving the country’s cultural heritage and traditions.
“We are holding the Karata Beach Volleyball Cup during the Halal Qatar Festival and we are optimistic that the visitors and sports-loving fans would get a high-class action from the Katara beach volleyball courts to see,” he said.

QVA President Ali Ghanim al Kuwari said, “The QVA is delighted that Qatar is back on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour after a year’s gap. The event is very significant for us and Qatar as 56 pairs from 28 countries would be taking part in the Katara Beach Volleyball Cup 2018.
“In the main draw, world’s top 14 out of 16 teams will be contesting for the title, which shows the value of the event. This is the only four-star event the FIVB has allotted in the Middle East for which we really wish to thank the international federation,” he added.
Kuwari expressed his gratitude to the Katara Cultural Foundation for supporting the event. “We want to thank the Katara Cultural Village Foundation for being partner with us for this prestigious tournament. I am also confident that the Katara would hosting the event for many more years to come.”
The QVA chief also hinted at bringing the women’s event to Qatar possibly next year. “We talked to the FIVB officials talked about the women’s tournament as well. We are from a country that respects traditions, culture and heritage.
“We attach a great deal of respect to women’s dress as well. The FIVB has agreed to our conditions about the women players’ dress. Hopefully, they will deal with this dress issue and we’ll be in full control of the event, Kuwari added.