MANAMA: Qatar Olympic coach Fahad Thani said on Monday that his squad can advance to the next round of the GCC U23 Championships. Qatar went down to Kuwait in their opening clash two days ago. The event ends on January 26. "It was an unexpected result but we are still confident of advancing," coach Thani said. "We did not show enough strength of character on the pitch but the boys are playing well overall," he added. "We are still in the tournament and that's how we see it. We haven't lost hope," he added. Teams from, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are participating in the event. A solid performance at the event will ensure teams prepare well for the qualifying event for a berth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.