Doha: Dr. Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari, Second Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and President of the Qatar Athletics Federation (QFA), yesterday said the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is ready to host the Doha round of the 2021 Diamond League.
The Second Round of the 2021 season will be held tomorrow at the track and field venue of the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Dr Al Kuwari said that the Doha Round will witness participation of world champions and Olympic Games stars besides athletes who sparkled at the 2019 World Athletics Championships that were held in Doha 2019.
He said the medals winners at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 will also be warming up in Doha for this summer’s Games in Tokyo.
“The Doha Round is a major event that will be watched by millions of people around the world especially in light of these exceptional circumstances that the world is going through due to the outbreak of the COVID-19,” Dr Al Kuwari said.
The QAF President said the LOC is ready to conduct the event providing safety to athletes, officials and fans.
“Doha is ready to host this global sporting event, and God willing, we will fulfil this challenge through great cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and the relevant state authorities in the country. We are fully committed to keep athletes and fans safe during and after the event,” he added.
“We are following all health protocols underlined by MOPH and state authorities. We want to deliver a safe and best version of a Diamond League round. It is possible to do that especially since we decided to subject all participants to be part of a bubble environment and that will help us conclude a successful event,” the first VP of QOC said in an interview posted on Al Kass website.
Khalifa Abdul Malik, Deputy Director of the Meet, said: “All things are going well at Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium. The presence of some of the world’s best athletes here this week reflects how Qatar remains one of the most popular destinations for sports events in general and athletics in particular. We have taken special care of the athletes from the moment they landed at the Hamad International Airport from where they reached the accommodation and now they have access to top training facilities.”
Khaled Rashid Al Marri, Director of the Championship and a member of the Board of Directors of QAF, said Qatar will be represented in the Diamond League and supporting events by Tossin Ogunode, Femi Ogunode, Owab Barrow (100m), Jamal Hairane, Abdirahman Saeed Hassan, Mahdi El Hafez, Musaeb Abdulrahman Balla, Rabi Mohamoud Mubarak (800m), Abderrahman Samba, Doudai Ismail Bakar, Amor Ebed Abdalmujied, Ashraf Hussen Osman, Muhand Khamis Saifeldin (400m hurdles), Mohamed Moussa Abdulrahman, Hussein Ibrahim Issaka, Abdel Madjid Mohadjir Ammar Ismail Yahia Ibrahim (400m),Musab Adam Ali, Hamza Driouch, Mohamed Al Garni (1500m) and Yaser Baghrab (3000m Steeplechase).
Al Marri said Olympic and world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim will feature in the high jump competition.
