HE Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, President of the Qatar and Asian Athletics Federations and Vice-President of the IAAF, praised the support of our wise leadership for sport and for the athletes taking part in the Rio 2016 Olympics, considering HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani’s leadership, as President of the Olympic Committee, of the delegation taking part in the Olympics to be the greatest source of motivation and encouragement for Qatar’s sporting ambassadors to give their utmost to honour their country at the Olympic contest, the biggest sporting event held every four years, bringing together the world’s youth to compete across a range of sports. He expressed his pride at having champions of the mother of sports qualify among the world’s finest athletes for the Rio 2016 Olympics, voicing his confidence and optimism in our champions’ ability to give their utmost in the Olympic competition and produce their best performances to honour their country, adding that Olympic competition would be no easy walk, but would require exceptional effort and refined performance to be among the world’s elite athletes. Asked about his expectations for Qatar’s medal haul, he said: “It is difficult to predict in the world of sport, with all the surprises, circumstances and pressures that surround competition, especially in high-level athletics, where an athlete goes through exceptional circumstances that usually accompany them during competition, whether on the field or the track,” adding: “This certainly does not mean our champions are not capable of competing with the best, but predictions are always difficult in the world of athletics. We pray to the Almighty to grant our champions success — most of them young athletes taking part in the Olympics for the first time, with the exception of world-class high jumper Mutaz Barshim, bronze medallist in the high jump at the London 2012 Olympics — and that they produce the high standards that cement the standing and gains of Qatar athletics, which holds the first Olympic achievement for Qatar and the Gulf in our Olympic history, the bronze medal won by runner Mohamed Suleiman in Barcelona, which our champion Barshim built on with a second bronze in the high jump at the London 2012 Olympics.” He called on our champions to follow with determination and strength in the footsteps of their senior colleagues, who wrote their names in letters of light in the Olympic hall of fame and helped raise the Qatari flag high at the great Olympic gathering.
HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad had earlier attended the IAAF council meeting held in Rio on the sidelines of the Olympics, chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe and attended by all members, at which numerous topics were discussed, submitted reports were reviewed, and those present made important decisions.
