Qatar is a sports-loving nation. In addition to traditional sports such as falconry, camel racing, horse racing, and traditional boat racing, modern sports are also popular – particularly soccer.
Facilities include the 45,000-seat Khalifa International Stadium and the Khalifa International Complex for Tennis and Squash, as well as the Doha Golf Club, a championship course.
A few of the major events held in Qatar include:
- Qatar Masters Tournament – Held since 1998, this is a PGA event, which is on the European and Asian tour schedules. The Qatar Masters occurs in January, and is held at the Qatar Golf Club.
- Qatar Open Tennis Tournament (officially the Qatar ExxonMobil Open) - Held since 1993, when the inaugural winner of the men’s singles event was Boris Becker, this event held in early January, and has men’s singles and doubles events.
- Qatar International Rally (currently the NBK Qatar International Rally) – This two-day event, organized by the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, occurs in January.
- Qatar International Desert Marathon, a desert horse race that is the length of a traditional marathon.
Qatar also played host to the XV Asian Games in 2006. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
