By Sports Reporter/Doha
A delegation from the International Boxing Association (AIBA) headed by Executive Director Ho Kim will begin a four-day visit to Qatar today to inspect preparations for the World Championships to be held at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah multi-purpose hall in Al Sadd in October this year.
Other members of the delegation are Adam Kusior, Championships Supervisor, Kristin Brynildsen, Director of Competitions and Kwang Soo Na of TV Broadcast Services.
During the visit, the delegation will hold a series of meetings with the Championship Committee, headed by Yusuf Ali al-Kazim, President of the Qatar Boxing Federation.
The delegates will also meet with officials in Qatar Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Youth and Sports .
Tomorrow the delegation will visit the Losail Multipurpose Hall and the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena at Al Sadd. The officials will also inspect the hotels for the participating teams and other facilities.
The next day, the delegation will hold a meeting with Qatar Airways and with the organising committee of the tournament.
This is the first time the boxing World Championships are being held in the region. The first edition of the event was held in Havana in 1974, while Almaty hosted the previous edition.
Doha 2015 is expected to witness tough competition and enhance Qatar’s image as a major global sports hub.
The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2016 Olympics and will be broadcast live to over a billion viewers on more than 20 television networks.
A trial event will be conducted from May 19 to 24 to test Qatar’s preparedness. The event, to be held at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, will witness the participation of more than 100 boxers from Asia.
Last month, AIBA unveiled the logo for 2015 World Boxing Championships.
“I am delighted to see that the preparations for the AIBA World Boxing Championships are moving at full speed. The upcoming tournament edition is crucial for many boxers as it will be a direct qualification for Rio 2016 Olympic Games. I am very much looking forward to one of the most exciting events in the boxing calendar”, AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu said then.
The logo includes a series of elements representing Qatar with a sharp shape of a boxer serving as a central element and representing the shape of the Qatar flag centre. The burgundy and white colours are the traditional colours of Qatar, while yellow represents the country’s sand.
Yousuf Ali al-Kazim, the Chairman of LOC Doha 2015 expressed his delight with the new logo: “I am really happy with the 2015 World Boxing Championships logo as it truly represents Qatar and the country’s aspiration to successfully host such high profile sports events as 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships”.
