Doha: The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) has confirmed that three cities — in Qatar, United States and Spain — are in the running to host the 2019 world championships.
The IAAF said yesterday it has received formal applications from Doha, Eugene and Barcelona. The cities sent letters of intent earlier this year.
Doha is bidding to bring track and field’s showcase event to Qatar for the first time.
The host city will be selected at the IAAF council meeting in Monaco on November 18.
An IAAF evaluation panel headed by Sebastian Coe, the former London 2012 chairman, will visit the three cities this month, ahead of the final decision in Monaco next month.
The Evaluation Commission will analyse the capabilities of each contender in a number of areas, based on a study of the bidding documents and the on-site visits.
Among the key areas that will be examined are vision and general concept, competition, accommodation, transportation, broadcasting, media operations, medical and anti-doping, security, sponsorship and legacy.
Coe, the double Olympic 1,500 metres champion, who is now vice-president of the IAAF, will be joined on the Commission by Canada’s Abigail Hoffman and Japan’s Katsuyuki Tanaka, members of the world governing body’s ruling Council.
Coe was on the other side of the fence two years ago when he played a leading role in London’s successful bid for the 2017 IAAF World Championships, when the British capital beat Doha.
IAAF senior vice-president Bob Hersh, from the United States, had led the Evaluation Commission on that occasion.
Coe will lead a Commission that will also include Essar Gabriel, General Secretary of the IAAF, and Nick Davies, the IAAF Deputy General-secretary and Director Communications, along with the Competitions Director Paul Hardy.
The Commission will be completed by Junko Shiota and Ryo Wakabayashi from Dentsu and Nigel Swinscoe from AMS, the IAAF’s marketing partners.
The Commission will visit each of the bidding cities for two days, starting in Barcelona on October 14 and 15.
They will then move to Eugene on October 26 and 27 before completing their inspections in Doha on October 30 and 31.
The world championships are held every two years.
Beijing will host the event in 2015 and London in 2017.
The Peninsula
