HE Sheikh Saoud bin Ali, deputy president of the Qatar Olympic Committee, opened his address by conveying the greetings of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic Committee, along with his sincere wishes for the meeting’s success and for athletics in Asia to achieve its aspirations. In the same vein, he welcomed Lord Sebastian Coe, IAAF president, and all the representatives of the Asian athletics federations in their second home, Qatar, noting that this important meeting, held in “the Doha of goodness and hospitality for all,” comes within the framework of Qatar’s interest in and support for sport in general, and for Qatari, Asian and world athletics in particular. He praised the achievements and gains the sport has brought to Qatar, which have enriched our sporting scene and elevated it to the ranks of leading and influential nations in the sporting field, noting that Qatar’s honour of hosting the outdoor World Championships in Athletics – Doha 2019, as the first country in the Middle East to do so, was a source of pride for us and a huge boost for athletics in this part of the world, which has always aspired to host major events that give the sport fresh energy and inspire future champions through close experience of competition and the enjoyment of a vibrant sporting atmosphere with the participation of the stars and legends of world athletics. He concluded his address by affirming that just as Qatar leads the development of Asian athletics through the presence of one of its loyal sons, HE Major General Dahlan Al Hamad, it is also moving steadily forward with its plans and programmes towards a broader sporting horizon across all other sports, wishing the meeting success and hoping it would produce practical ideas and outcomes that help advance the sport on our continent and around the world.
