Under the patronage of the Deputy Amir and with record international participation.. tomorrow’s world opening with a Qatari touch for the World Indoor Athletics Championships
Preparations complete and champions ready for zero hour
World Championship fever grips Doha as tickets sell out
Under the gracious patronage of the Deputy Amir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, chairman of the Qatar Olympic Committee, the Doha of goodwill and sport hosts tomorrow the events of the thirteenth IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships – Doha 2010, which Qatar is honoured to organise from 12-14 March, with the participation of (1,400) male and female athletes representing (160) countries who will compete with strength, honour and a high spirit to claim medals as champions of the
mother of world sports. This comes amid high-quality preparations made by the championship’s organising committee, chaired by HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and his working team, who have made considerable efforts to put the finishing touches on the launch of this major event tomorrow, Friday, with a legendary and unprecedented opening ceremony expected to herald this global challenge befitting a world championship of the mother of world sports. Qatar has devoted all its material and human resources and facilities to secure this global honour and present the championship at a standard that enhances Qatar’s leadership on both the organisational and technical fronts, especially given that Qatar enjoys the trust and respect of the international sporting community, with Doha having become a hub of sporting prominence.
National team champions ready for the challenge
On the front of Qatari participation, the “seven” national team champions continue their strong, dedicated daily training on Aspire’s outdoor green pitch under the close supervision of the technical and administrative staff. The Qatar Athletics Federation had announced the national indoor team’s line-up, which includes (7) of Qatar’s stars: sprinter Samuel Francis in the 60 m, Thamer Ali Kamal in the 1500 m, Abubaker Ali Kamal in the 1500 m, James Kwalia in the 3000 m, Essa Ismail Rashed in the 3000 m, Mutaz Essa Barshim in the high jump, and Khalid Habash in the shot put, while the Qatari delegation is headed by Essa Al Harami, board member and deputy secretary general, with Mohammed Taher as the national team’s administrator, Joachim Krug as technical expert, Peter John Thomson as technical director of the national teams, and coaches Jama Aden, Leonid Shariko, Amuniki and Stanislav.
World Championship fever grips Doha
Sporting Doha is witnessing huge public engagement, with championship tickets selling out early since they went on sale at outlets in shopping malls, and the opening ceremony is expected to see unprecedented public turnout to enjoy watching the stars of the mother of world sports at the covered Aspire dome, the stage for the event.
The media centre covers an area of 3,160 square metres and can accommodate more than 300 journalists.
Abdullah Al Malla, director of the media and broadcasting department, said that 350 media personnel representing 90 countries, most of them from Europe, will cover the championship’s events, alongside representatives of 15 satellite channels today.
By yesterday 600 male and female athletes had arrived, and the arrival of all the champions will be complete today, with those who have already arrived engaged in gruelling training, and the technical staff for these champions putting the final technical touches in place to enable them to fulfil their hopes.
Successful dress rehearsal for the competitions
Meanwhile, the covered Aspire dome hosted a successful dress rehearsal for the Higher Organising Committee to assess the readiness of all the working committees ahead of the start of competition, with a group of international runners and promising champions taking part in the trial, during which the organisers confirmed that the timing and results equipment and the readiness of the championship’s main field were all in order.
Today, the championship’s technical meeting
HE Abdullah Ahmed Al Zaini, the championship’s director, chaired the championship’s expanded technical meeting, attended by the technical and organisational delegates for the competitions and the managers of the participating teams. The technical meeting’s agenda included a review of the championship’s systems and regulations, approval of the names of the participants, and other technical and organisational matters relating to the championship, followed by answering the team managers’ questions and comments.
