In a beautiful evening at the Sheraton’s council hall, attended by a large gathering of the Qatar athletics family led by HE Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, President of the Qatar and Asian Athletics Federations and Vice-President of the International Federation, the federation celebrated last Wednesday the close of its 2012-2013 sporting season, which was full of successes and achievements, honouring the standout stars of athletics in all categories and everyone who contributed to the season’s great success.
At the start of the ceremony, Al Hamad gave a speech in which he warmly welcomed those present and thanked everyone who contributed to the great success of the athletics season.
He added: We have grown used to meeting and gathering on a day like this to celebrate and rejoice as we bid farewell to a sporting season that has entered the history of athletics with bright lines written by your hands, in which you exerted exhausting efforts and faced difficulties and challenges to achieve the best results this season. Today we are reaping the fruits of that effort by honouring the outstanding among you for the distinguished effort you put in, which pushed Qatar athletics forward.
Al Hamad went on to say: the genuine, constructive interaction between the Qatar athletics family, represented by this elite group we celebrate and honour today, has enabled Qatar athletics to take great strides internationally, whether in the sporting achievements attained by Qatari athletes at international championships, in Qatar’s occupation of important positions in the international, Asian and Arab athletics federations, or in the management and organisation of
international and world championships. These achievements were embodied at their peak in the World Championships held in Moscow last month, with our athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim winning the silver medal in the high jump, and the peak of administrative achievements was embodied in Qatar’s winning of the presidency of the Asian Athletics Association, the election of three board members to membership of Asian federation committees, and the election of three board and technical members to membership of the Arab Athletics Federation and its working committees.
Great achievements
Al Hamad said that during this season Qatar’s national team athletes managed to collect 72 medals at the international championships in which they took part, comprising 27 gold, 23 silver and 22 bronze medals, noting that the international sporting season had not yet ended, as further commitments remained in the West Asian Junior Championship, the Islamic Solidarity Games and the GCC cross-country championship.
As for new Qatari national records this season, Qatar’s national team athletes, men and women, managed to set 38 new Qatari national records at local and international championships, 14 of them new Qatari national records for women.
On the achievements in managing and organising international championships, this season was full of international championships organised by the federation, having organised three international championships in two months: the GCC junior and men’s championship in April, and the Diamond League meeting and the Arab championship for men and women in May, and our success was clear and witnessed by all, with most of you sharing in this success with us.
Support of the wise leadership
Al Hamad continued: these Qatari achievements could not have been realised without the gracious patronage and attention of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the esteemed Amir of the country, may God protect and preserve him, his interest and continuous follow-up of Qatar athletics and its champions, and the support and backing of the Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee.
In closing, I extend my thanks to everyone who contributed to the season’s resounding success.
Well-deserved honour
Following his speech, Al Hamad, accompanied by Secretary General Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari, honoured everyone, starting with the institutions that took part in the federation’s activities: Aspire Logistics, represented by Mr Abdullah Aman Al Khater, Qatar SC, represented by Mr Abdullah Hamed, Secretary General, the Qatar Anti-Doping Committee, represented by Dr Fatima Al Maliki, Al Rayyan Municipality, represented by Mr Rashed Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director of Al Rayyan Municipality, and Qatar University, represented by Mr Miloud.
