The Qatar Marine Sports Federation called off the rest of yesterday’s Pro Class & Pleasure Boats Local Championship following the death of Rashid Abullah al Mansouri, a Qatari who was killed in the third round of yesterday’s competition.

Al Mansouri, whose death was first reported by Doha Stadium Plus on Twitter yesterday, may be the first local to have died in a sports-related accident here.

According to Qatar Tribune, Al Mansouri and co-rider Hamad Jassim Al Mutawa’s boat hit a big wave and flipped several times before crashing into the water.

The newspaper continues:

The boat of the coastal guards with divers immediately rushed to the spot and brought the two drivers ashore. The Red Cross team tried to pump Mansouri’s heart. But the impact of the accident was so severe that Mansouri’s neck had broken under the boat, causing him to die with internal bleeding…

Khalid bin Arhama al Kuwari, the QMSF’s Pleasure Boat Racing head, expressed his deep grief over the unfortunate accident. “It was really a sad and tragic day for us. We have raced in even tougher conditions but nothing like this happened before. 

Other local English and Arabic-language newspapers reported that Al Mansouri died of head wounds, and that co-rider Al Mutawa sustained a thigh injury.

Al Sharq adds that Al Mansouri was born in 1979 and was married with four children.

Thoughts?

Credit: Image courtesy of Al Sharq