His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani announced the opening of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 on Friday evening, wishing all participating delegations success and a pleasant stay in Qatar.
The opening ceremony of 17th edition of the IAAF World Athletics Championships was attended by His Highness the Personal Representative of the Amir, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, HE Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa al-Thani and a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs and ministers.
The ceremony was also attended by the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Dr Thomas Bach, members of the IOC, President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lord Sebastian Coe, members of the IAAF, and a number of Olympic and sport figures, heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Qatar and senior officials and guests of the tournament.
The ceremony began with the national anthem, followed by a movie on Qatar welcoming the world.
After the movie, the President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and head of the championship's organising committee, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, and the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations Lord Sebastian Coe gave a speech to mark the occasion.
After that, the march with the Arab and foreign flags of the participating teams took place, followed by a fireworks display.
Then, His Highness the Amir declared the start of the women's marathon.
*********2,000 athletes competing in 49 races and competitions
A total of 2,000 athletes from 208 countries and territories are competing in the championships, which are seen as an important staging post as Qatar prepares for the challenge of hosting football's World Cup in 2022.
With the bulk of the competition taking place at the fully air-conditioned Khalifa Stadium, most athletes will be shielded from the heat in Doha.
Organisers however are leaving nothing to chance, with larger than usual teams of paramedics on hand and an abundance of water stations populating the course on Doha's Corniche waterfront where the marathons will be held.
"The overwhelming thrust of this is the welfare of the athletes," IAAF president Sebastian Coe said.
"We will have more water on the course than we've ever had in any marathon, we will have more medical support and more paramedics out there as well."
Earlier, at the Khalifa International Stadium, Abderrahman Samba of Qatar sizzled in the heats of the 400m hurdles, clocking the best time among all participants to reach the semis. Samba, who is coming back from an injury, said he wants nothing but the gold although he faces tough competition from Benjamin Rai of the US and Carsten Warholm of Norway, the defending champion.
US sprinter Christian Coleman also surged to an easy win in the 100m heats, while a pair of outclassed 5,000m runners drew the biggest roar of the night as the World Athletics Championships got underway on Friday.
Coleman, the favourite for the 100m crown in today's final, shrugged off a drugs controversy to cruise through his heat in the quickest time of the first round at Khalifa Stadium.
The 23-year-old American was the only man to duck under 10 seconds, clocking 9.98sec, with plenty left in the tank as he crossed the line.
Yet the biggest moment of Friday's opening day belonged to long distance runners Braima Suncar Dabo of Guinea-Bissau and shattered rival Jonathan Busby of Aruba.
Dabo and Busby had already been lapped and were the only men left on the track at the end of their 5,000m heat, with the rest of the field having finished several minutes earlier.
Busby, 33, had slowed to almost a crawl down the back straight on the last lap, lurching forward uncertainly and appearing close to collapse.
It was then that Guinea Bissau's Dabo came to the rescue, stopping to prop up his fellow racer and leading him around the final 200m to the finish line.
It was a scene that was reminiscent of Derek Redmond's famous hobbling finish at the 1992 Olympics, when the British 400m runner was helped over the line by his father after breaking down.
