In a new achievement for Qatari sport in general and athletics in particular, HE Major General Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad was elected president of the Asian Athletics Association for a new term running until 2019, after winning the presidency the night before last following his rival’s withdrawal some time earlier. The Asian Athletics Association’s general secretariat in Singapore announced Dahlan Al Hamad’s election for a new four-year term, making Al Hamad the federation’s president after having held the post for two years since 2013, during which he achieved many accomplishments for Asian athletics in terms of plans, programmes and administrative and technical development, giving Asian athletics a major boost towards reaching the best positions among the continents.
Qatari support behind the win
Dahlan Al Hamad’s election as president of the Asian federation stems from the great support Qatar declared, represented by the patron of sport and athletes HH the Amir of Qatar and the Qatar Olympic Committee, for its candidate for the presidency earlier, which led rivals to withdraw their candidacies, especially since everyone now knows that when Qatar backs a candidate, he achieves success, given Qatar’s full commitment to developing all sports, especially athletics, alongside the great reputation Qatar enjoys in the world of sport, which always qualifies it to win the trust of the whole world in any sporting endeavour.
The UAE’s Ahmad Al Kamali had been a candidate for the presidency of the Asian federation but withdrew from the race, leaving the nomination to go uncontested to Dahlan Al Hamad as president of the Asian Athletics Association. The Asian Athletics Association’s general assembly will be held in China next June to complete the Asian federation’s elections for executive committee members and the two vice-presidency posts, with strong competition expected between the west, east, centre and south of the continent, as many candidates wishing to join the ship of athletics development steered by Qatari leadership and thinking under Dahlan Al Hamad have come forward, affirming Qatar’s great standing in athletics. Major General Dahlan Al Hamad’s unanimous election, announced by the Asian continent represented by federations from 45 countries, reflected a strong conviction in the great effort and Qatari thinking behind the development that first appeared on the continent when Major General Dahlan Al Hamad took over the federation’s presidency in the past two years – a period before which the continent had not known organised work, regular championships and training programmes for administrative and technical staff until Al Hamad’s leadership of the federation, enabling the continent to achieve great things, take an interest in the sport, produce future champions and benefit from Qatari intellectual capabilities in planning and development.
Major General Dahlan Al Hamad’s election as president of the Asian federation represents a major boost for him on his way to competing for the vice-presidency of the IAAF, a post Al Hamad has held for years and had recently announced his candidacy for again with great Qatari blessing and support from sports officials in Qatar. Al Hamad, who was attending the African Athletics Confederation elections alongside IAAF officials in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is on the path to success and excellence in the IAAF elections, in which he faces a fierce contest with several figures, most notably the UAE’s Ahmad Al Kamali, with Al Hamad currently presenting his vision to the African federations and his election programme for the vice-presidency.
Taking part in the Africa congress
Major General Dahlan Al Hamad took part in the African Athletics Confederation’s general assembly, whose elections are held in Addis Ababa, in his capacity as an IAAF vice-president, invited alongside IAAF president Lamine Diack and his vice-presidents Sergey Bubka and Sebastian Coe, along with the presidents of the South American and Oceania athletics confederations. The general assembly’s proceedings took place at the headquarters of the Organisation of African Unity in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
