Jassim bin Rashid al-Buenain, Vice President of the Organising Committee of the World Table Tennis Championships – Doha 2025 and Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee,on Friday welcomed The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Dr Thomas Bach to Lusail Arena for a visit to the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Doha 2025, one of the premier global events on this year’s international sports calendar.
The visit comes exactly one month ahead of Olympic Day, which will mark the end of President Bach’s distinguished 12-year tenure as head of the IOC.
Bach’s term has shaped the modern Olympic Movement and guided its evolution through a period of global challenge and transformation.
The tour of Lusail Arena included IOC President, ITTF President Petra Sorling, ITTF Senior Executive Vice President and President of the Asian Table Tennis Union Khalil al-Mohannadi, IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell, and Qatar Table Tennis Association President.
During the visit, al-Buenain provided insight into Qatar’s approach to elite event hosting, with particular emphasis on athlete experience, venue legacy, and integrated operations.
Together, they observed the quarter-final stage of the competition, which features 640 athletes from 127 countries and is sanctioned by the International Table Tennis Federation, one of the world’s largest and most globally represented International Federations, with 227 member associations.
During the visit, the QOC Secretary General presented Bach with a commemorative shield on behalf of the ITTF World Championships, in recognition of his leadership and longstanding support for international sport and the Olympic Movement.
Lusail Arena, originally constructed for the IHF Men’s Handball World Championship in 2015, continues to serve as one of Qatar’s leading multi-sport venues. It will play a central role once again as a host site for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2027, demonstrating not only the versatility of Qatari infrastructure but the strategic foresight behind its long term venue planning and reuse model.
During the tour, Bach was briefed on the operational framework of the Championships, including athlete support zones, broadcast and competition technology, delegation logistics, and the integration of sustainable event practices.
Particular attention was drawn to the athlete first design philosophy underpinning QOC’s event delivery, a model now recognized across the Olympic Movement as a benchmark for excellence.
Bach was reported to have commended the standard of the venue, noting the exceptional condition of Lusail Arena, the professionalism of event staff, and the vibrant sporting atmosphere inside the arena.
Al-Buenain emphasized the significance of the visit in the context of both the Championships and Qatar’s broader sporting vision.
“We are honoured to welcome President Bach to Doha for what may be his final visit as IOC President,” al-Buenain said. “This is a moment of both reflection and renewal, an opportunity to show how Qatar continues to evolve as a destination for high impact sport and how we remain committed to strengthening the values and institutions of the Olympic Movement.”
Bach’s visit, set against the backdrop of a continent leading Championship and a world class venue, reflects Qatar’s influence in international sport and its leadership role within the Olympic ecosystem.
Under the direction of QOC President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar continues to invest in events, institutions, and athlete development programs that advance the Olympic agenda, from GCC Games Qatar 2026 to the Asian Games Doha 2030 and a continuous calendar of world championship events across Olympic disciplines.
As the global sports community looks toward the next phase of Olympic leadership, Friday’s visit reinforces the strength of the relationship between the IOC and QOC, a partnership rooted in shared values, institutional trust, and a forward looking vision for sport as a force for development and international cooperation.