The Level One athletics coaching course concluded at the Lusail Hall of the Qatar Olympic Committee, organised by the Qatar Athletics Federation in cooperation with the international federation (IAAF) and under the supervision of the Regional Development Centre. The course ran for ten days, from 17 to 26 January, and was held under the patronage of Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, president of the Asian and Qatar athletics federations and vice-president of the international federation (IAAF). Twenty-four trainees took part, sons of Qatari athletics, made up of former champions and bright stars of Qatar’s various clubs and national teams over the years in the sport, who had defended the ambitions of Qatari athletics at every global, international, Olympic and regional forum, including Rashed Al Shafi Al Dosari, Mohammed Al Khalifi, Ahmed Abu Jalala and Hamad Al Dosari, among others. Lecturing on the course was the international expert Dr Mohammed Abdel Raouf Diab, the course director, and assistant lecturer Wael Mohammed Ramadan. The hall saw a notable turnout from the Qatar Athletics Federation family, led by HE Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, captain of Qatar’s athletics team, along with Mohammed Jassim Al Kuwari, assistant secretary general, Mohammed Sulaiman, assistant secretary, Abdulrahman Al Nubi, board member, Yaqoub Abdullah, head of the preparation and arrangements committee, and a number of federation staff, alongside the male and female trainees on the course
An elegant closing ceremony
The trainees’ graduation ceremony began with an eloquent speech by federation president Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, in which he congratulated the trainees, praising their efforts. He also paid tribute to the lecturers’ work in equipping the new coaches with the basic knowledge and skills of coaching science, saying: “This course is among the most important and finest qualification courses approved by the international federation, and your federation has been keen to provide it for you as a distinguished generation, bringing together (trainees – coaches) who are sons of the sport, which is important for developing the sport and raising it to the best level. The purpose of holding these study courses is to keep pace with the new changes in the sport’s rules and modern coaching methods under the supervision of the international federation, which genuinely helps increase excitement and raise athletes’ technical level, and adds points of distinction and numerical refinement for the champions. Your federation also aims to encourage retired stars, and the diligent and persevering, to join the coaching profession in the future, believing that (the vanguard, or constellation of stars) who brought honour to Qatari athletics, and brought tears of joy or sorrow as players, can carry Qatari athletics to broad new horizons in coaching, given their experience, talent and remarkable abilities to discover talent and hone it through coaching. We hope you will truly be a lucky charm for the Qatar Athletics Federation.”
For his part, Dr Mohammed Abdel Raouf Diab, the course supervisor, said the Qatar Athletics Federation was among the world’s best federations for development in recent years, and among the most committed to advancing its progress, both athletically and technically, in order to develop the sport and achieve success across various fronts – administrative, organisational, developing generations, and providing qualified staff equipped with modern knowledge and science. This, he said, had led the international federation to rank Qatar among the highest in activity and distinction, and without flattery, Qatar was the best. He concluded by extending his thanks and appreciation for the patronage and attendance of Major General Al Hamad and his keenness to honour the trainees, urging them to continue giving their best in pursuit of coaching excellence in the future
Honouring the male and female trainees
HE Major General Al Hamad then honoured the male and female trainees on the course, beginning with those who achieved an excellent grade, followed by those who achieved very good, then those who achieved good. The two lecturers were also honoured, and he thanked the course organisers and the local media for their coverage of the event. Former champion Hewari Masoud delivered the trainees’ speech, praising the efforts they had made to benefit from the course and thanking Major General Al Hamad and the two lecturers on the course
