Preparations continue within the Higher Organising Committee for the thirteenth IAAF World Indoor Championships – Doha 2010, to put the finishing touches in place just days before the launch of the global event, which will be held from 12-14 March at the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence dome, with the participation of (1,400) male and female athletes representing 160 countries.
Khalid Ali Al Mulawi, director of the organising committee’s protocol, ceremonies and international relations department, revealed
the broad outlines of the opening and closing ceremonies. He said the opening ceremony will last 45 minutes, and that the closing ceremony will be held on the beach of the Sharq Village hotel, on the sidelines of which the champions of the last 4 races will be crowned, and during which the championship’s flag will be handed over to the Turkish delegation.
Al Mulawi declined to reveal details of the opening and closing ceremonies.
He added: “We have accustomed the world to being dazzled, and to Qatar’s hosting of any world championship remaining etched in everyone’s minds for many years, with everyone continuing to compare Qatari organisation with what came before it and what will follow it. We are always delighted by the world’s praise for Qatari expertise and world-class facilities, and this doubles our responsibilities as we host the IAAF World Indoor Championships.”
Al Mulawi noted that the organising committee, chaired by HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee, has been intensifying its work for 10 months, out of which the committees working on the championship emerged.
Preparations are under way for four main events to be held on the 11th of this month, related to the reception hosted by the IAAF in honour of the championship’s senior guests and Qatari dignitaries, to be held at the Diplomatic Club and featuring a number of varied segments.
Al Mulawi said the organising committee will hold a dinner on the 13th of this month, to be attended by senior dignitaries and official and national sponsors, to be held at the Equestrian Federation’s headquarters, where the organising committee decided it should be an unconventional event featuring equestrian shows and displays of purebred Arabian horses. He added that two events will also be held on the 14th of this month, where the Turkish organising committee, which will host the next World Championship in Istanbul, will hold a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency hotel, and the events will conclude with a dinner hosted by the organising committee, noting that the closing ceremony will be held on the beach of the Sharq Village hotel, on the sidelines of which the champions of the last 4 races will be crowned, during which the championship’s flag will be handed over to the Turkish delegation, and it will feature a variety of entertaining segments.«5» departments
Al Mulawi pointed out that his department is responsible for 5 main sections: the opening and closing section, responsible for the opening and closing ceremonies; the second section is concerned with international relations and is responsible for communication and liaison with the participating national federations and responding to their inquiries, acting as the link between the organising committee and the national federations; the third section is the protocol section, responsible for receiving and hosting all of the championship’s senior guests and responding to their inquiries, as well as being responsible for all the champions’ medal ceremonies; the fourth section is concerned with official celebrations and visits by recreational delegations; and the fifth section is concerned with guest services and is responsible for the senior guests’ hotel (the Grand Hyatt), in addition to having staff present at Doha airport to receive and see off senior guests, and it is also responsible for preparing official gifts for dignitaries, players, officials and media personnel, as well as for organising the meetings of the IAAF’s executive board, which will be held on the 15th and 16th of this month.
A packed programme
Al Mulawi said his department is organising a packed programme for dignitaries and media personnel, including a visit to the Museum of Islamic Art, the Al Jazeera network, Souq Waqif, and a bus tour around Qatar, noting that anyone wishing to take part in the recreational visit programme must fill in the form designated for that purpose, available on the championship’s website.
Al Mulawi said the IAAF president will arrive in Doha on the 11th of this month and will chair the executive board’s meetings on the 15th and 16th of this month, noting that the organising committee has invited numerous Gulf and Asian sporting figures, and that the IAAF’s executive board includes 5 members of the International Olympic Committee.
