President of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) and vice president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Dahlan Jumaan al-Hamad, on Thursday praised the great Asian participation in the Doha IAAF World Athletics Championships and the results achieved so far.

Many of the continent's champions have been crowned with medals and achieved new personal records, which clearly indicates the great work done by the national federations in Asian countries, al-Hamad, who is also vice chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee and director general of the Organising Committee of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, said.

Speaking at a ceremony held by the Organising Committee of the heads of national associations in the presence of IAAF president Sebastian Coe, al-Hamad said Qatar has managed to provide all the potentials for success, and at the same time provided an opportunity for all Asian champions to hold camps and preparations before the start of the Asian event, as is the case for many teams from other continents.

He added that the Organising Committee has on more than one occasion welcomed the unprecedented number of athletes from the world and that all Asian teams attended the tournament, which is another proof of the interest of countries in this event.

He said that the association is constantly working on plans to develop the game and that will be achieved only when there is co-operation from all national associations.

Al-Hamad said the AAA is planning in the next phase to organise a new tournament, the AAA Cup, in order to increase the participation of all athletes and allow them to fine tune their skills before participating in world championships.

Coe praised Qatar's successes in hosting the world championships, which he considered the best so far, while praising the achievements of the Asian champions in different competitions and races

Meanwhile, several foreign correspondents present in Doha to cover championships praised Qatar's organisation of the event and reserved special praise for Khalifa International Stadium.

L'Equipe's journalist told Qatar News Agency that the effort made by the Organising Committee was clear, expressing his admiration of Khalifa International Stadium and its cooling technology.

He also said it was healthy for other countries from all around the world to host the competition, as it should not be monopolised by major European nations.

Kenya's Daily National reporter said all aspects of the event are going well.

He noted that the media centre especially was well equipped for reporters to do their jobs.

He also praised the intensity of the competition.

On FIFA World Cup 2022, he expressed his belief that Qatar will host a wonderful edition.

He praised Qatar's modern infrastructure and said he would gladly come back to cover the World Cup in three years' time.

SOJC Track's Alex Castell praised the organisation of the competition and Khalifa International Stadium.

He noted that despite the heat and humidity, the weather inside the stadium was good thanks to the technology.


Related Story