HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, president of the Asian and Qatar athletics federations and IAAF vice-president, expressed his great satisfaction with the performance and results of our champions on the first day of competition, noting that the championship is seeing record participation and extremely strong competition given the presence of the best Arab male and female stars, meaning that achieving success requires a great deal of effort and focus. He said: “Our trust in our stars is always boundless, and they are giving their utmost to honour their generous country, Qatar, and raise its flag at every sporting occasion. We wish our male and female champions further success in today’s events and more coloured medals.” Major General Dahlan had earlier made a statement to the Bahraini press, beginning by thanking His Majesty the King for his gracious patronage of the Arab Championships and for Bahrain’s hosting of the Arab event, noting that it is enough that the Kingdom is hosting all the Arab countries in a championship unprecedented in terms of the number of participating countries. He added that the presence of the representative of His Majesty the King for charitable works and youth affairs, chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and president of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, HH Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, shows the extent of officials’ interest in the Arab event, explaining that the excellence of the opening ceremony reflects the precision of the organisation.
He stressed how pleased he was to be in Bahrain, as the championship would have a special impact given the large participation of Arab countries, which would create fierce competition, especially since the Arab Championships will be a true test for all male and female athletes ahead of the upcoming World Championships, revealing to them how ready they are for the global stage. He went on to say that the participation of Arab countries with their key athletes would give a positive signal and greater competition for the top places.
Major General Dahlan Al Hamad noted that one of the Qatari national team’s priorities was to field its key athletes for several reasons, the first being that Bahrain is hosting the Arab event and taking part in its organisational and technical success, explaining that none of the participating national teams could be underestimated, as everyone is a contender for the podium.
