Israeli volleyball team to compete in Qatar

Israel’s beach volleyball team will compete in Doha, Qatar, this week, Israeli news sources reported.

Sean Faiga and Ariel Hilman arrived in the Gulf state yesterday to take part in the FIVB Qatar Open between 5-8 April.

Doha is expected to host 69 men’s teams from 33 countries.

Details of the Israeli team’s participation were kept under wraps until their arrival. They had entered the tournament in November but were only notified on Friday that their request had been accepted, Arutz Sheva reported.

Faiga and Hilman will need to win two matches in order to advance to the main draw in Qatar. This is part of their bid to be selected for the Olympic Games this summer.

Earlier this year, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) banned Malaysia from hosting major international events after it denied visas to Israeli sportsmen.