CSWC Qatar

In May Kuwait was the first country on the Arabia Peninsula to host a qualification round of the Cigar Smoking World Championships this season. Last weekend Qatar followed suit. The event was held in the luxurious Mondrian Doha Hotel in the Qatari capital of Doha, and the desert conditions of the two countries might have played a part in the similar times that followed. Ayman El Hahdi’s winning time of 1 hour 22 minutes and 3 seconds was only about four minutes behind that of the winner in Kuwait, Sary Aboudaya. Second and third place were even closer.

This was the second time Qatar hosted a qualifier, but last year’s competition might not even be worth mentioning. “There was only one participant and he got a penalty within the first 40 minutes,” organizer Felipe Rojas Bruna says.”This year we had 23, so it’s safe to say it was better.”

1. Ayman El Hahdi 1:22:03
2. Fahad Al Mohanna 1:20:59
3. Khaled Al Jaidah 1:15:15