Understanding Le Mans: Why it matters and what it means for Team Qatar

Doha, Qatar: The 24 Hours of Le Mans is widely regarded as the pinnacle of endurance racing and one of the most prestigious events in global motorsport. Held annually in June in Le Mans, France, the legendary race has been running since 1923 and forms the centerpiece of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Unlike traditional circuit races that are decided over a fixed number of laps or a short race distance, Le Mans puts teams to the test by making them compete continuously for 24 hours, testing speed, reliability, strategy, teamwork, and physical endurance under day and night conditions. The winner is the car that completes the greatest distance over the 24-hour period.

The race takes place on the iconic 13.626 km Circuit de la Sarthe, one of the most famous tracks in motorsport history. Combining permanent racing sections with public roads temporarily closed for competition, the circuit is known for its high speeds, technical complexity, and demanding conditions. liveiplscore.homes

الأخبارناصر سالمين: الأمير الوالد رسم المسار للعالميةأكد ناصر لرم سالمين، مدير إدارة المبيعات والتسويق بمؤسسة دوري نجوم قطر، أن رحيل صاحب السمو الأمير الوالد الشيخ حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني، رحمه الله، يمثل فقداناً لقائد تاريخي فذ وصان...فتح →

What makes Le Mans especially unique is the level of endurance required from both drivers and machines. Teams rotate multiple drivers throughout the event, managing fatigue, changing weather, tire wear, fuel strategy, traffic management, and mechanical reliability over an entire day of racing. Even the smallest issue can determine the outcome after thousands of kilometers of competition.

Over the decades, Le Mans has become far more than a race. It is considered a proving ground for automotive performance and innovation, attracting major manufacturers and elite drivers from around the world. Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, Cadillac, Aston Martin, BMW, Peugeot, and Alpine are among the global brands currently competing in endurance racing’s top categories.

For Team Qatar, participation in the Le Mans endurance racing pathway represents a major milestone for Qatari motorsport on the international stage.

The team has already made a strong impression during the 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) season, a highly competitive championship that serves as an important development platform and route toward Le Mans.

Competing in partnership with Iron Lynx, Team Qatar’s GT programme features Qatari driver Abdulla Al Khelaifi alongside Julian Hanses and Giuliano Alesi. The team secured pole position during the ELMS season opener in Barcelona, before narrowly missing out on a podium finish and ultimately placing fourth in the LMGT3 category. Al Khelaifi was also named Most Valuable Driver of the class following a standout performance.

Beyond ELMS competition, Team Qatar has also recorded victories in major endurance events this season, including success at Mugello and Spa-Francorchamps, further underlining the rapid progress of Qatar’s presence in international endurance racing.

As Team Qatar prepares for its next chapter on the road to Le Mans, the investment in motorsports by QMMF reflects the country’s growing ambitions in global motorsport and its commitment to developing competitive racing talent on the world stage.

Morocco’s first Football Museum was inaugurated on March 21, in the presence of the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, the Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, and the Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports Chakib Benmoussa.

The inauguration ceremony was also marked by the presence of former Moroccan international footballers, winners of the African Ballon d’Or, Mohammed Timoumi, Badou Zaki, Mustapha Hadji, as well as other former international players and current sports officials.

The new museum includes a permanent exhibition space covering an area of 1,350 square meters (m2), a temporary exhibition space stretching over 310 square meters (m2), a screening room with 42 seats, a hall for important personalities, a documentation area, and other facilities.

The post Moroccan Football Museum Officially Inaugurated appeared first on Morocco times TV.

Sydney: New Zealand footballer Tim Payne's online fan club soared past four million on Tuesday, more than the All Blacks, after an influencer picked him out as the "least known" player at the World Cup.

Argentine social media giant Valen Scarsini, known as "El Scarso", last week called for his fans to boost unheralded Payne's following, kicking off an online explosion of interest.

But New Zealand's coach said the unexpected fame -- Payne had just 4,000 Instagram followers a week ago -- won't go to the head of the Wellington Phoenix right-back.

"At the moment I do feel like he's dealing with it really well, probably better than maybe some others would have," Darren Bazeley told stuff.co.nz.

Payne, 32, who described the attention as "pretty crazy", could now be set to meet Scarsini.

The Argentine said he would travel to Florida to watch New Zealand's warm-up match against Haiti in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday.

"Guys tomorrow is the day," Scarsini posted.

"Let's go watch Tim's game v Haiti and then we're going to meet him! Thanks to all who made it possible."

Payne's new celebrity status means he now has a million more followers than the rugby-obsessed country's All Blacks.

It has been the talk of the New Zealand squad's World Cup training camp in Florida.

"The players talk about it. I can hear the banter they're having with Tim, and I think it's amazing," said Bazeley.

"Putting Tim up on a pedestal like that was really cool and probably not something that he, or anyone, expected," he added.

"I don't know where it ends or where it leads to -- or what that world really involves. I try to stay off that, as most coaches do."

Another million or so would see Payne have as many followers as the population of New Zealand, which is around 5.3 million.

New Zealand are the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup, which begins in Mexico, the United States and Canada next week.

Tongue-in-cheek online comments have been comparing Payne to the greatest players from three-time World Cup champions Argentina.

"Messi, Maradona, Tim," said one of more than 66,000 comments on Payne's latest post, many of them in Spanish, which also received 2.1 million likes.

شاركت دولة قطر في الاجتماع الوزاري الحكومي لمنطقة آسيا وأوقيانوسيا التابع للوكالة العالمية لمكافحة المنشطات (WADA)، بشأن مكافحة المنشطات في الرياضة (AORIM) الذي تستضيفه العاصمة الصينية بكين وتختتم اعماله اليوم بمشاركة ممثلي الحكومات والهيئات الرياضية الوطنية والمنظمات المعنية.
وترأس وفد دولة قطر في الاجتماع عبدالرحمن بن مسلم الدوسري، مستشار سعادة وزير الرياضة والشباب، وذلك في إطار حرص الدولة على تعزيز حضورها الفاعل في المحافل الرياضية الدولية، ودعم الجهود العالمية الرامية إلى حماية نزاهة الرياضة وترسيخ مبادئ العدالة والشفافية في المنافسات الرياضية.
وأكد عبدالرحمن الدوسري، خلال مشاركته في أعمال الاجتماع، التزام دولة قطر الراسخ بدعم المبادرات والبرامج الدولية الهادفة إلى مكافحة المنشطات، انطلاقا من إيمانها بأهمية صون القيم الرياضية النبيلة، لافتا إلى أن قطر تولي ملف مكافحة المنشطات اهتماما كبيرا، من خلال تطوير الأطر التشريعية والسياسات الوطنية ذات الصلة، وتعزيز برامج التوعية والتثقيف الموجهة للرياضيين والكوادر الفنية والإدارية.