HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, president of the Qatari and Asian federation and vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, said that Friday will be a great day in Qatar’s history, especially for its athletes, and that they are proud to host the sixth edition of the Diamond League which begins in Doha, and explained, saying: our ambitions grow higher every day, and this hosting comes as part of the general vision of His Highness the Amir and the country’s vision for 2030 that sport should be part of life, in addition to us wanting to leave a legacy for our future generations and to reach the furthest limits.
Major General Al Hamad added: we now have a great deal of experience in dealing with every challenge, and we are keen on the partnership with the international federation, which we thank for placing its trust in us to host the Diamond League every year among only 11 countries in the world that have the right to host the event, and Qatar is the only country from the Middle East, and this is without doubt a very great responsibility, and we are working hard to host this event, and we have always made a point of having the best athletes, and there are more than 45 countries represented in the Doha round of the Diamond League and 12 Olympic champions, and everyone wants to compete in the state of Qatar given the generosity of the hospitality and the beautiful weather and also the wonderful organisation, and the Diamond League is ranked among the best sporting events in the world, but we still have the best to offer and we aspire to more, and I have confidence in the success of this edition of the Diamond League on Qatari soil and we must all shoulder the responsibility, and he continued, saying: the international federation placed its trust in us and we will not let it down, and we will also host the 2019 World Championships, and thank God we have the ingredients for success and we promise everyone that we will present a beautiful edition of the Diamond League and also of the World Championships, stressing also that there will be some entertainment events on the sidelines of the competitions today at the track and field of the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium at Qatar SC and outside it as well, and when asked about the possibility of Qatar hosting the Olympic Games in 2024 given the great capabilities, facilities and infrastructure available, Al Hamad replied, saying: without the slightest doubt this is a dream for everyone, hosting the Olympic Games after we have organised many major and international championships, and this hosting is a goal for the state and the government, and if that happens we will be extremely happy
As for the timing of the international marathon, our position has always clearly been that we need innovation and creativity because our sport is one in which innovation is possible, and so when we proposed the night marathon this was clearly part of that innovation and a well organised plan, and we will take every measure to make it a success.
