The Qatar Athletics Federation’s general assembly praised the achievements and successes recorded during the 2013/2014 sporting season, which saw the sport enjoy notable success at regional, continental and international level, most recently at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. The general assembly held its regular annual meeting in the presence of Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, Vice President of the IAAF and President of the Qatar and Asian Athletics Federations, who chaired the session. Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari, Secretary General, who read out the agenda items, was also present, along with the rest of the board members, federation officials and the general assembly’s club members.
Major General Al Hamad thanked and praised the federation’s general assembly for the tireless efforts it put in during a successful season, saying: “The general assembly’s support and backing had a major impact in contributing to the successes achieved during the season at local, regional, continental and international level.”
Al Hamad affirmed that athletics in Qatar was on the right track, pointing to the number of medals won, which represented a continuation of Qatar’s run of success enjoyed under the support of the country’s wise leadership, saying: “This success could not have been achieved without the great support and generous patronage of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of Qatar.”
The federation president noted that the haul of medals in the sporting season’s tournaments and continental and international commitments was substantial, saying: “Qatar won 67 medals in athletics last season, 38 of them gold, and our champions broke numerous records,” stressing that the successes and achievements came in most of the tournaments our champions competed in, including the World Indoor Championships, the World Youth Championships held in Eugene in the United States, and the IAAF Continental Cup.
He added that at Asian level the achievements were significant, including topping the continent at the Asian Indoor Championships for men, the Asian Youth Championships held in Taiwan, as well as the recent achievement at the Incheon Asian Games in South Korea, in addition to achievements in Gulf competitions.
Al Hamad noted that Qatar had bid to host the 2019 World Athletics Championships, stressing that an IAAF delegation would visit Doha at the end of the current month to view the facilities, with the vote to be decided on 18 November, with Doha competing against two other cities, Eugene in the United States and Barcelona in Spain.
Al Hamad praised the great effort of everyone in the federation family – technical and administrative staff, athletes, coaches and media – saying: “Everyone shares in the success achieved,” stressing that reaching the top is difficult and staying there is even harder, and calling on everyone to keep developing and maintain Qatar’s standing in athletics.
Al Hamad spoke of the major role played by the print, radio and television media, saying: “Success always comes through smart partnership with everyone, because the goal is to raise the profile of Qatari athletics,” and that it was therefore natural for everyone to play their part in contributing to Qatar’s run of success in the sport.
The federation president thanked and expressed appreciation to the sponsors who contributed to the season’s achievements, and offered condolences to the families of three athletics officials who passed away last season – Ali Talib, Abdullah Bayoumi and Samir Abul Futouh – who answered their Lord’s call, praying for mercy and forgiveness for them and patience and solace for their families.
The meeting’s agenda items were then reviewed following Al Hamad’s address, with the minutes of the previous general assembly meeting ratified, and the new season’s schedule – to be announced at a later stage – discussed, alongside proposals including one submitted by Mai Al Mohammadi, a federation board member, to introduce women’s athletics at sports clubs, as well as two other proposals from Al Rayyan club, among them increasing dedicated financial support for the hopefuls category at clubs.
The auditor’s report was also discussed and the 2013/2014 financial year approved, along with approval of the draft budget estimate for the 2015/2016 financial year.
