2,000 athletes gearing up for thrilling competition
The fog capital ready to host the legends and stars of the sport
The eyes of the world turn today toward the British capital, London, to witness the opening celebration of the 16th World Athletics Championships, to be held at the Olympic Stadium from 4-13 August, with the participation of our men’s national team led by Qatar’s golden falcon Mutaz Barshim, alongside 2,000 athletes representing 200 countries who make up the world athletics family, competing fiercely and honourably over 10 days full of rivalry, enthusiasm and excitement to stand on the podiums of world glory and honour their countries. Organisers, meanwhile, expect the event to be a festival and public carnival in the stands of the main stadium over the coming days, as fans enjoy the performances of the fastest, strongest and highest achievers of world athletics. Adding to the expected public interest in the new championships is the fact that this edition will see Bolt retire on one hand, and British runner Mo Farah end his career on the track before switching to marathon racing on the other. Athletics enjoys great popularity in Britain, especially after famous British runner Mo Farah stole the spotlight during the London 2012 Olympic Games, just as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s brilliance at the same Olympics was a source of excitement and enjoyment for crowds, whose gathering in the stands of the Olympic Stadium in London was itself a guarantee of the forthcoming championships’ success. The British team is also expected to draw large crowds, including alongside Farah other stars such as Laura Muir, who specialises in middle-distance races, and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the heptathlon star.
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A traditional opening
The opening ceremony is expected to be simple and traditional, with the organising committee announcing that the launch ceremony segments would be brief and purely sporting in nature, in line with international Olympic regulations and athletics’ directives to reduce, as far as possible, displays of extravagance and ceremonial pomp, and to save those resources for sporting goals and projects that benefit those involved in the sport.
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World champion Barshim leads Qatar’s national team
Leading Qatar’s five-strong squad is golden star Mutaz Barshim, silver medallist in the high jump at the 2013 Moscow World Championships. The team also includes promising champions: sprinters Abderrahman Samba (400m hurdles) and Abdalelah Haroun (400m), hammer thrower Ashraf El Seify, and javelin thrower Ahmed Bader.
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Intense training for our champions
Yesterday, our champions Abdalelah Haroun, the 400m runner, and his teammate Abderrahman Samba, the 400m hurdler, carried out an intense training session at the championships’ main stadium under the supervision of South African coach Henny, with team director Khalifa Abdulmalik and administrator Khalid Al Marri in attendance. The session included warm-up drills and light jogging around the track to get a feel for the stadium’s features, as part of adapting and preparing psychologically and mentally ahead of taking on the challenge.
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5 medals of various colours in our haul
Our national athletics team’s colourful haul stands at 5 medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), won by our outstanding champions: runner Saif Saaeed Shaheen, with two golds — the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2003 Paris World Championships and the 3000m at the 2005 Helsinki World Championships; runner Mubarak Shami, silver in the marathon at the 2007 Osaka World Championships; James Kwalia, bronze in the 5,000m; and Mutaz Barshim, silver in the high jump at the 2013 Moscow World Championships.
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History of Arab participation
Arab participation in the World Athletics Championships began with its launch in 1983 in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, and Arabs were not absent from the podium even then, with Moroccan runner Said Aouita winning bronze in the 1500m. Great Arab success continued throughout the fifteen editions held to date, though the 2015 Beijing Championships saw a numerical decline, with Arabs winning a total of 63 medals (25 gold, 20 silver, 18 bronze). Morocco took 28 of them (10 gold, 11 silver and 7 bronze), followed by Algeria with 9 medals (6 gold and 3 bronze), then Bahrain with 8 (5 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze). Women, meanwhile, won 17 of the 63 medals (7 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze).
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Arab medals
Morocco tops the list of Arab medals at the World Championships since they began in 1993 in Helsinki, Finland, with a total of 28 medals (10 gold, 11 silver and 7 bronze). Algeria: 9 medals (6 gold and 3 bronze). Bahrain: 8 medals (5 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze). Qatar: 5 medals (2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze). Tunisia: 3 medals (1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze). Syria: 2 medals (1 gold and 1 bronze). Somalia: 2 medals (1 gold and 1 bronze). Djibouti: 3 medals (2 silver and 1 bronze). Sudan: 1 medal (silver). Egypt: 1 medal (silver). Saudi Arabia: 1 medal (bronze).
Morocco’s El Guerrouj: four golds
Retired Moroccan world champion Hicham El Guerrouj tops the list of Arab champions for gold medals with 4 golds and 2 silvers, followed by Algeria’s Noureddine Morceli (3 golds). Qatar’s Saif Shaheen also has 2 golds, then Morocco’s Nezha Bidouane with 2 golds and 1 silver, and Algeria’s Hassiba Boulmerka with 2 golds and 1 bronze.
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Facts and figures
* The Olympic Stadium holds around 60,000 spectators, with ticket sales expected to break records amid expectations that the stands will be filled with athletics fans. More than 250,000 tickets have been put on sale at a total price of £35 or less, and more than 750,000 entry tickets will be offered during the days of competition.
* More than 3,000 volunteers, university students and other young Britons, are active around the clock in the championships’ corridors to serve the athletes and guests, recalling the high standard of organisation the British delivered for the 2012 Olympics.
* The ExCeL London international conference centre is hosting the IAAF Congress, which concluded yesterday with the participation of more than 800 delegates, including heads of delegations, sponsor company executives, investors and IAAF partners.
* The championships feature a record participation of 2,000 athletes representing 200 countries, alongside 800 administrative, technical and medical staff serving the athletes.
* Britain has always been one of the leading nations in world athletics, given its many outstanding champions, such as Roger Bannister, the first man to break the four-minute mile; his countryman Lord Sebastian Coe, the current IAAF president, two-time Olympic gold medallist and former world record holder for the 800m; sprinter Linford Christie; and his countryman Daley Thompson, the former decathlon star.
* The British still remember what became known as “Super Saturday”, which five years earlier saw Farah win the 10,000m, his countrywoman Jessica Ennis-Hill win the heptathlon, and Greg Rutherford win the hurdles, delivering three gold medals for Britain within a little over an hour during the 2012 Olympics, the peak of euphoria for the host nation’s crowds.
* Fans are eager tonight to watch the 10,000m final featuring Britain’s representative, runner Mo Farah, while crowds also await the appearance of legend Usain Bolt in the 100m final next Saturday, which will draw fans strongly to the Olympic Stadium.
