01 Oct 2026
Aspire Academy 2019 graduate Bassem Hemeida claimed gold and silver medals for Qatar in athletics at the 20th Asian Games in the Japanese city of Aichi–Nagoya.
Abubaker Haydar Abdalla, who graduated in 2015, also won a bronze medal and set a new personal best in the 800 metres.
Bassem Hemeida went one better than he did four years ago, claiming gold in the 400m hurdles and was then part of the Qatar team that took silver in the 4 x 400m relay.
Swimmer Mohamed Mahmoud (2022 graduate) did not manage to get on the podium but did break his own Qatar national record for the 200 metres individual medley.
A total of 43 competitors from Aspire Academy represented Qatar at the 2026 Asian Games, including 40 graduates and four current student-athletes, across 10 different sports.
The football squad, which was made up of under-23 players, included 15 footballers developed at Aspire Academy.
The athletics and fencing teams each included eight Aspire Academy-trained competitors, with three each in swimming and table tennis; golf had two representatives, while archery, padel, squash and shooting each had one.