The Salwa Hall at the Sheraton Doha hosted, on Saturday 12 June, the wonderful closing ceremony of the Qatar Athletics Federation for the 2009-2010 sporting season, attended by HE Abdullah Ahmed Al Zaini – federation president – the board members, and the Qatari athletics family
represented by the organising committee of the 2010 Diamond League meeting, partners and sponsoring companies, media personnel and photographers, the clubs’ administrative and technical staff, male and female athletes, parents, officials, and preparation and logistics teams.
HE Abdullah Ahmed Al Zaini – federation president – opened the closing ceremony with a speech in which he noted the great support Qatari athletics has received from His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Amir of the country, and the continuous follow-up of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Heir Apparent and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee.
He spoke of the achievements made by the federation, both in athletes’ accomplishments and in organising international championships, including the World Athletics Championships and the Diamond League meeting. Afterwards the honouring segments began, with gifts distributed to the honourees by HE federation president Abdullah Ahmed Al Zaini, Secretary General Adel Al Baker, Assistant Secretary General Issa Al Harami, and board member Mrs Mariam Abdullah Al Ishaq. The members of the organising committee for the 2010 Diamond League meeting were honoured for their success in organising the event, as was Qatar’s junior national team, runners-up at the GCC Championship in Doha in April 2009 and runners-up at the Arab Championships in Cairo. The women athletes who had set records this season were then honoured, along with administrator Fatima Abdulhalim and athlete Sheikha Saqr. The federation president also honoured media personnel and photographers working in visual and print media, outstanding officials and preparation and logistics staff, and the season’s best coaches, as well as the administrative and technical staff of Al Sadd Sports Club, winners of the overall excellence shield for the 2009-2010 sporting season for the seventh consecutive time. A gift trophy from the Qatar Athletics Federation was also presented to Al Sadd Sports Club for winning the overall excellence shield by scoring the highest number of points in the federation’s championships for the 2009-2010 sporting season.
. His Excellency also honoured Qatar SC for hosting the Diamond League meeting, and Al Rayyan Club for hosting the mini-athletics festivals for the Hope category, along with the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, and “Score”, the official sponsor of the federation’s local championships, and the Ethiopian and Belgian communities for their outstanding presence at the 2010 Diamond League meeting. Dr Jabbar Rahima Al Kaabi, the federation’s technical expert, Mr Mustafa Ahmed Mohammed, and Mr Mohammed Weeri, the players’ affairs officer, were also honoured. The best athletes in running, jumping and throwing across all age categories, and athletes who had set records at local and international championships, were also honoured, while the honouring segments were interspersed with a wonderful display on the electronic screen featuring footage of previous championships and the role of officials and logistics in the success of international championships, along with other distinguished segments covering the federation’s activities.
