The Qatar Athletics Federation held the first press conference for the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, set to be held in Doha from 19 to 21 February next year at the Aspire Academy venues. The press conference was attended by HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, president of the Qatar and Asian athletics federations and vice-president of the IAAF, Abdulhakim Al Omari, championships director, our world gold champion Mutaz Essa Barshim, and a large number of representatives of the local media. The press conference opened with an inaugural address by HE Dahlan Al Hamad, who began by extending congratulations to HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Amir of the State, and HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, on the occasion of the state’s National Day celebrations, wishing that Qatar would remain a leader and always at the top.
Major General Al Hamad said of hosting the seventh edition of the Asian Championships: “This championship is the most prominent event on the continent during the coming winter period, and we are extremely happy with this hosting in Doha for the second time, which is in line with Qatar’s 2030 vision of hosting major global sporting events, and so we will make every effort to deliver an outstanding organisation of this event
Asian federation board meeting on 17 February
On the sidelines of the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, there will be a meeting of the Asian federation’s board of directors and another meeting of the board’s sub-committees.
The sub-committees’ meeting was set for 16 February, while the board meeting will run over two days, 17 and 18 February. This meeting is the second since the elections and therefore carries great importance, with many decisions expected given the strong desire among everyone at the Asian federation to accelerate the sport’s development and progress
Application of IAAF regulations at the championships
In line with the standard system for Asian and world championships, all regulations governing the management of competitors will be followed, with six technical delegates and a photo-finish judge expected, bringing the total to 14 officials responsible for technical management.
The IAAF’s indoor competition regulations will also be applied at the Asian Championships for the first time at this event, which adds to its great technical value, and so the IAAF delegate will effectively act as a judge and supervisor of the championships under the Asian federation’s new rules.
As for the venues and training, the outdoor track will be used for warm-up, while competitions will be held inside the indoor hall, with clear cooperation between Aspire officials and the Qatar Athletics Federation in providing all the necessary facilities.
In the same context, some delegations requested to hold training camps and arrive early to train and prepare well for the championships in Doha.
