HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee and head of the Doha 2019 bid committee, expressed his delight at the great success, saying: “It is a great honour for us that Doha has been chosen to host the 2019 World Athletics Championships. We can only extend our deep thanks and gratitude to the IAAF for the trust it has placed in us, and we affirm that we will continue our commitment to live up to that trust. We also extend our thanks and appreciation to the Eugene and Barcelona teams for the warmth, respect and high standard of conduct they showed throughout the bidding and voting process, which made sharing this journey with them all the more enjoyable. Hosting the World Athletics Championships has long been a dream we have held since 1997, and today that dream is coming true. We assure the whole world that we will live up to the responsibility placed on our shoulders and deliver an outstanding sporting event that will strengthen the ties between all this global sport’s activities and raise it to world-class standards. At a time when Qatari sport is witnessing many developments and achievements, Doha hosting the World Athletics Championships will represent a landmark in its sporting journey, and this great win is a source of pride for all of us.”
