Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, president of the Qatari and Asian federations and IAAF vice-president, affirmed the readiness of the organising committee and the federation’s officials to welcome the event from now on, stressing that with every event held in the country there is great pressure on those responsible for and organising it, since it is a national responsibility and we must never let our guard down – yet despite that, we have great confidence in the organisers to bring the event out in the best possible way. In the speech he gave at the start of the conference, he said: “We thank you all for being here today to attend the opening press conference of the Doha 2015 Diamond League, and your presence with us is an honour and a pleasure. We at the Qatar Athletics Federation are filled with pride, as this first press conference coincides, just before the launch of the sixth edition of the Doha Diamond League, with historic sporting moments for our country. Last year I assured you that the Qatar Athletics Federation would continue winning medals at major international competitions and would take first place in sport in Qatar, and the facts soon proved our words true. Allow me to touch on some of these achievements: less than six months ago, our athletes achieved third place across all competitive levels and second place in the men’s events medal table at the 27th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. They also broke four championship records and one continental record. Meanwhile, our world champion Mutaz Barshim continues his rise towards global stardom, just two centimetres short of the world high jump record. Mutaz became the meeting’s all-time best with his personal best of 2.43 m. Through his remarkable season, Barshim also won the IAAF’s ‘Athlete of the Year’ title at the World Athletics Gala in Monaco last November.
We also have even bigger news from the IAAF regarding the Qatar federation. I refer specifically to the announcement that Qatar will host the 2019 World Athletics Championships – we all worked day and night to achieve this, tirelessly, in cooperation with the Qatar Olympic Committee, and we mobilised all our energy and invested all our resources to host this great event in Doha, as it is the crown jewel of athletics and the third-biggest and most important sporting event in the world.
You all know that athletics in Qatar invests in the young generations, and engaging schools is a top priority for both the Qatar Athletics Federation and the Asian federation, two important sporting institutions I am personally honoured to chair.
The Diamond League, held annually in Doha, is inseparable from these achievements and goals. By bringing an elite group of athletes to Doha, we raise awareness of the importance of this sport and remain constantly keen to engage a growing number of young athletes.
We have set high standards for organising this prominent, major sporting event over the past years, and we look forward to continuing in this vein in 2015, reaching the highest possible level.
We have proven on numerous occasions that we have the experience and knowledge to fulfil the promises we make to ourselves. We have all the capabilities that qualify us to be the IAAF’s key and trusted partner, especially since we have had the honour of organising the 2019 World Championships.
Allow me to remind you that only 11 countries around the world have had the privilege of hosting part of the Diamond League series or have been nominated to host the indoor or outdoor World Championships – and none of them is in the Middle East.
Although the Doha 2015 meeting takes place at the start of the outdoor season, which could have made hosting an elite of stars difficult, we will still bring in a large number of world and Olympic medallists. We will confirm through the names to be revealed that we have great hopes for the 2015 edition.
For the first time, Doha will host the IAAF’s ‘Athlete of the Year,’ as you just saw in the video – Renaud Lavillenie, the Frenchman who last year achieved what had seemed impossible by breaking Sergey Bubka’s legendary pole vault record, with no athlete previously able to clear 6.16 m. As he noted in his earlier statement, the meeting will be highly competitive as always, and the men’s pole vault will feature the indoor and outdoor world champions, Raphael Holzdeppe and Konstantinos Filippidis – but that’s not all!
The Doha Diamond League is rated by the IAAF, the Diamond League and international media as one of the best in the series, and we always aim to maintain that standing.
Major General Al Hamad concluded his remarks by saying: “Teamwork and experience are essential pillars of success, and over the next two months we will work to organise a championship in Doha that will remain firmly in the memory.”
Major General Dahlan Al Hamad felt that breaking records at the start of the season would be difficult for athletes, especially with a World Championships coming up in China, meaning the races would be strong.
Al Hamad said: “There may be surprises given the high standard of organisation and the participation of an elite of stars and world champions, so the door is open to personal bests being broken, especially in the field events, since it seems very difficult on the track.”
IAAF president Lamine Diack in Doha
Major General Dahlan Al Hamad confirmed the attendance of IAAF president, Senegal’s Lamine Diack, at the Doha meeting, saying: “It always matters to us to have guests, since that reflects the strength of Qatari hospitality, and we welcome everyone to join us for this sporting event.”
Everyone is waiting for Bolt
“Everyone wishes to see Usain Bolt at any Doha meeting – he is our legendary champion and one of the brightest names in the modern history of world athletics, and we hope for his presence and participation in Qatar.” With these words, Major General Al Hamad responded to a foreign journalist’s question about the Jamaican star’s participation in the Diamond League.
Al Hamad said: “So far it cannot be confirmed whether he will take part in the Doha meeting, and I wish him success.”
Regarding Indian participation, Al Hamad also said: “We are interested in the development of athletics in India and follow it closely, and we hope to see athletes from India take part – but the Diamond League has its requirements and standards, and we hope and are keen to have participants from India in the Diamond League.”
Major General Al Hamad denied there were any problems for the organising committee regarding the pressure of competitions between the Doha meeting on 15 May and the Shanghai meeting on 17 May of the same month, and the effect of the time difference on the success of the event.
He said: “Despite there being only two days between the Doha and Shanghai meetings, athletics events are divided into group A and group B and the races are spread out, so there are no problems in that regard. As for the high jump competition, this year it will be for women only in Doha, while in Shanghai it will be for men, meaning our Qatari champion Mutaz Barshim will begin competing from the Shanghai meeting.”
