Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari, secretary general of the Qatar Athletics Federation and administrative delegate for the Arab Championships on behalf of the Arab federation, stressed the importance of this edition of the Arab Championships ahead of the World Championships next July in Colombia.
Al Kuwari, who chaired the championship’s technical meeting, said: “No doubt everyone wants to gauge their champions’ level and see how far they have progressed. I think it’s a good opportunity to improve personal bests and get strong competitive exposure, and the large number of Arab countries taking part, higher than in past editions, is clear evidence of growing awareness, especially as we haven’t seen such numbers in a long time. So we thank Tunisia very much for managing to attract this large number of champions and host the championship under these circumstances.”
Al Kuwari added: “Although Qatar was originally supposed to take part with 22 champions, the number was cut to just four male athletes and one female athlete because of exam schedules. We were keen to attend to support the championship and help make it a success, and we hope it turns out well and that we also get our share of the medals.”
