Colombian Sports Minister Andrés Botero praised the Qatari experience in developing athletics and the Qatari vision for developing sport, and the successes Qatar has achieved in sport in general and athletics in particular. The minister, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, said while receiving Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, president of the Asian and Qatar athletics federations and IAAF vice-president, that he was delighted to work on developing sporting relations with Qatar and exchanging ideas for the benefit of both countries in sport in general and athletics in particular, noting that Qatar is witnessing great success and development in athletics and that Qatar has succeeded in extending that development to the Asian continent through Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, who leads the sport across the continent and is driving tangible progress.
The Colombian sports minister also stressed his keen interest in benefiting technically from the experiences that are developing world athletics, and in joint work that serves both Colombian and Qatari sport, noting that Qatar’s development across various sports and especially athletics did not come out of nowhere but from work and programmes built on a deep, strategic vision for continued progress in the sport. He affirmed that the Qatari experience in developing sport, through great support from the state and joint work by the responsible federations, has had a clear effect on Qatar’s major development, which the world has come to recognise, highlighting the great achievements Qatar has recorded in athletics in particular over recent years.
This came during a reception hosted by Colombian Sports Minister Andrés Botero for Major General Dahlan Al Hamad on the sidelines of the World Youth Athletics Championships in the Colombian city of Cali, in which more than 1,200 male and female athletes representing 150 countries are taking part, attended by the president of the Colombian Athletics Federation and Mohammed Ahmed Sulaiman, assistant secretary-general of the Qatar Athletics Federation, with the two sides discussing a number of sporting matters.
Memorandum of understanding
During the meeting it was agreed to work on a memorandum of understanding between the two sides to strengthen administrative and technical communication in a way that serves athletics in Qatar and Colombia, extending to the Asian continent whose athletics is steered by Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, especially given the great development in the sport, which now involves programmes, strategies and visions in the development process. Colombian minister Botero noted the need to keep pace with development in the sporting process in line with different foundations and experiences, offering his thanks and appreciation to Major General Dahlan Al Hamad for his leading role in the sport at international level as IAAF vice-president.
He said in this regard that his presence alongside the IAAF president at the World Youth Championships in Colombia represents great moral and technical value for the sport and for the future champions competing, and that it reflects great interest in the future champions of athletics from around the world.
Great appreciation and thanks from Al Hamad
For his part, Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, president of the Asian and Qatar athletics federations, thanked the Colombian sports minister for the warm reception and generous hospitality, saying the relationship between the two sides would remain one of appreciation and interest for a bright future for Qatari, Colombian and world athletics, noting that Qatar’s successes in athletics stem from the great support of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the state, patron of sport and sportspeople in Qatar. He said that without his support and patronage, Qatar’s sporting successes and victories in every field would not have been achieved, adding that at the
Qatar Athletics Federation they work continuously to honour Qatari sport with successes at every event.
Al Hamad expressed his great thanks and appreciation to the Colombian sports minister for his interest in and support for world athletics, and for the idea of cooperation towards developing the sport, hoping there would be joint work serving the champions of both friendly federations in the future for the benefit of Qatari, Colombian and Asian athletics, considering the agreed understanding as building a new bridge of cooperation serving the interests of world athletics, because the goal has always been and will remain reaching the top and working towards excellence in any event and from any side, adding that the relationship would develop and benefit both parties because it serves the ultimate goal that sport is the language of
the whole world
Qatar federation shield for the minister
At the close of the meeting, Major General Al Hamad presented the Qatar Athletics Federation shield to the Colombian sports minister on this occasion, and also presented a commemorative shield to the president of the Colombian Athletics Federation
Diack celebrates Eid al-Fitr
Lamine Diack, president of the IAAF, held a reception in honour of the heads of delegations of the countries taking part in the World Youth Athletics Championships in the Colombian city of Cali on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration was attended by a large number of heads of delegations taking part in the global event, including Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, president of the Qatar and Asian federations and IAAF vice-president, and a large number of Arab, Muslim and international figures. Lamine Diack wished everyone present a blessed Eid al-Fitr, saying it is a festival of tolerance, love and hope, and wished everyone every success in the period ahead.
