FACTBOX-Major sporting events in Qatar

Reuters

Nov 18 (Reuters) - Factbox on some of the major sporting events hosted, and to be staged, in Qatar after Doha was chosen on Tuesday to hold the 2019 world athletics championships. SOCCER Qatar, with little domestic soccer tradition, will host the 2022 soccer World Cup -- although controversy on how the tournament was awarded to the tiny Gulf state, and which month of the year it will be staged, continues to rumble on. The Asian Football Confederation's 2011 Asian Cup finals were held in Qatar in January 2011. Japan beat Australia 1-0 after extra time in the final in Doha. - - TENNIS The ATP and WTA stage world class events in Qatar with the men's Qatar ExxonMobil Open in January and the women's Qatar Total Open a month later. Doha's ultra-modern Khalifa International Tennis Complex also hosted the season-ending WTA Championships from 2008 to 2010. - - ATHLETICS Qatar has been a regular stop on the world athletics circuit since the Doha Grand Prix was first held in 1997. Doha staged the first ever Diamond League meeting at the Qatar Sports Club stadium in May 2010, two months after hosting the world Indoor Championships. - - MOTOR SPORT The Qatar motorcyle Grand Prix opens each MotoGP season. In 2008 Qatar's Losail race track staged the first night event in MotoGP history. The race, generally staged in March or April in recent years, has been held since 2004. - - GOLF The Qatar Masters, part of the European Tour, has been staged at the Doha Golf Club since 1998 and has been won by such golfing luminaries as Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia who triumphed in this year's event in January. - - HANDBALL The IHF world men's handball championships will be held from Jan. 15-Feb. 1 next year. The tournament matches will take place across three venues; Lusail Multi-Purpose Hall in Lusail, Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena in Al Sadd and the Duhail Handball Sport Hall in Duhail - - SWIMMING The Hamad Aquatic Centre in Doha will host the world short course swimming championships from Dec. 3-7. (Compiled by Justin Palmer; Editing by Ken Ferris)