Qatar’s Nuha Khogali qualifies in Dubai for the inaugural Formula Woman Global Nations Cup qualifying event
Nuha Khogali proved she was on the pace to comfortably qualify at the Dubai Autodrome race circuit for next May’s FW Nations Cup finale. December 17th, 2024 – Dubai, UAE: Qatar racing driver Nuha Khogali successfully made it through the Formula Woman’s Nations Cup Qualifiers at the Dubai Autodrome, after three closely fought qualifying sessions in December. On a unique day for motorsport, we witnessed race action in the form of a time trial set-up at the Dubai Autodrome circuit for some of the best female racing drivers from across the globe. Nuha produced an impressive overall performance throughout the adrenalin sapping day, to comfortably move on to the highly anticipated Formula Woman Global Nations Cup main finale, scheduled to take place in Dubai next May. The qualifying event was made up of 38 selected drivers from almost 30 separate countries, which is a hugely impressive global cross section, which is down to the Formula Woman organisation and their extraordinary success of sourcing drivers who would most likely have never had the opportunity for competing at such a high level. Formula Woman Founder and CEO, Graeme Glew, reflected on the event, saying: “Congratulations to Nuha on getting through. She drove sensibly in all three qualifying sessions, and keeping a clear head helped her overall performance. With a bit more practice between now and May, she will undoubtedly be even quicker at the final next year. “There was some very impressive driving on show throughout the day and all the qualifiers will be delighted that they have made it through to Formula Woman Nations Cup. “There is so much talent within Formula Woman, and we are extremely proud to have hosted such a successful event, here in Dubai. However, nothing stands still and we have already switched our focus to the main event when we return in May next year. Dubai is an inspiring and exciting location for motorsport, and we are committed to continuing to grow the Formula Woman brand on a global level while using the impressive facilities available to us here.” Nuha was clearly thrilled with her result and excited about the future, especially the FW Nations Cup finale in May next year. She said, “It feels like an accomplishment and a relief at the same time. The pressure has dropped now, and I am ready to officially start training for the FW Nation’s Cup final in May next year. “Track time and practice sessions in the Radical racing car helped me qualify and the more I got settled into the car, the faster I became. The next few steps for me over the coming months are training and preparations. I aim to compete in local/regional races including the upcoming MENA karting Nations Cup, which is a major event here in the UAE, as well as do more testing of course. “FW has offered me and indeed all my fellow competitors the opportunity to showcase our skills, as well as the coaching and training time we need to succeed in motorsports and I will always be grateful to them for this. “My ultimate goal is to compete at the highest levels of motorsport, whether it’s Formula 1, Le Mans, or both. I think all people in sport must set their ambitions high and there is nothing wrong with that.” The Formula Woman Nations Cup will mark a truly special event in motorsport with its all-female grid and format. More details about the Dubai event and other Formula Woman information will be announced soon.
Premier Padel unveils 2025 Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour calendar
LONDON, DOHA – 23 December 2024 – Premier Padel, the leading official professional padel tour worldwide, today announced its eagerly anticipated 2025 calendar – with 24 tournaments across 16 countries, following its successful first season as a global tour. The 2025 season will feature at least 7 new locations including Miami, Buenos Aires, Cancun and Germany for the first time – significant additions across both the North and South American regions and Europe. The Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour will start on 10 February 2025 – opening with the Riyadh Season P1.There will be two major new highlights in the 2025 calendar in March, with the tour travelling for inaugural tournaments in Miami and Cancun –held at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Cancun – before returning to Chile for a second time. Following a short return to Europe for tournaments in Belgium and the heartlands in Spain, the tour will make its way to Paraguay in May before debuting in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires. Europe will host several tournaments between June and October – including a mid-season break scheduled in August – with a return to several recognised countries and locations including Italy (Rome, Milano), Spain (Valladolid, Malaga, Madrid), France (Bordeaux, Paris*) and The Netherlands (Rotterdam). The European leg will also include the first tournament in Germany. The Tour will then return to the Middle East for tournaments in Egypt (NewGiza) and the UAE (Dubai) with the regular season concluding with the Mexico Major at the end of November. The International Padel Federation (FIP) will host its first edition of the FIP Intercontinental Cup in August, the equivalent of the Ryder and Laver Cup – ahead of the planned mid-season break – and FIP World Cup Pairs tournament in November. In terms of the four Majors, the 2025 season will see the world’s best players return to Qatar (14-19 April) and Italy (9-15 June) for two Major tournaments in the first half of the year, with France (8-14 September) and Mexico (24-30 November) hosting the remaining Major tournaments. The Qatar Airways Premier Padel Finals will return to Barcelona in 2025 for its second edition from 8-14 December. The top 16 ranked players in the FIP Race Ranking – in both the men’s and women’s competitions – will qualify for the Premier Padel season finale. Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman of Premier Padel, said: “We are very proud to announce Premier Padel’s fantastic 2025 calendar, as we continue to propel the sport to new frontiers and take all aspects of the professional tour to the highest level. The 2025 calendar – developed in partnership with players and partners – shows our clear commitment to accelerate the global growth of padel and provide new and existing fans and players with an incredible experience of the Tour for many years.” Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation (FIP) and Vice Chairman of Premier Padel, said:“This is another thrilling chapter for FIP and Premier Padel and the sport of padel as a whole. Our 2025 calendar brings professional padel to new and established markets and a more efficient schedule for players and fans. This magnificent calendar supports the exciting global growth of padel as one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest growing sports and is another milestone in our bid for Olympic inclusion.”
