Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, president of the Qatar Athletics Federation, chief executive of the Doha 2019 bid, president of the Asian Athletics Association and vice-president of the IAAF, expressed his happiness at the great achievement realised for Qatar in hosting the athletics world championships in Doha. He said the support of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of Qatar, was the secret behind everyone’s success in reaching this complete achievement, as he is the leader of sport and its foremost, ongoing supporter. He said: “Winning the right to host the 2019 World Athletics Championships has become a reality, after being a dream that the Qatar Athletics Federation and the whole of Qatar held for many long years. We now look forward to working hard with the IAAF to deliver an outstanding World Championships that will introduce new generations to athletics in a region still relatively new to this field. We are therefore eager to embark on this exciting adventure to secure a bright future for this sport in the Middle East.”
Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, president of the Athletics Federation, affirmed that everyone views with satisfaction the complete renaissance achieved in Qatar, saying: “We view with satisfaction and contentment the process the IAAF conducted to select the host city for the 2019 World Athletics Championships. From the outset it set clear standards and foundations during the candidate cities’ conference in July 2014, and it treated all the candidate bids fairly and equally throughout the selection process, whether in the submission of bid files, the arrangement of the evaluation committee’s visit, or the final presentations. The IAAF is distinguished by the highest levels of efficiency and professionalism, and we hold it in the utmost respect and appreciation for the support it gave the Doha 2019 bid committee at all times
He said the committee in charge of the Doha 2019 bid had affirmed its commitment to applying the highest standards prevailing across all athletics disciplines, and that while hosting the World Athletics Championships does not require extensive construction, the Doha 2019 bid committee had taken it upon itself to apply the mandatory standards set out by Qatar Foundation in carrying out any construction projects needed for the success of the championships, including the “Athletics Sports City” planned to be built on a 35-hectare site in the Msheireb area in the heart of Doha, which will be built specifically for the 2019 championships.
