By Armstrong Vas
Doha: A spectacular opening ceremony - showcasing Qatar’s ability to host major international sports events - will kick off the first-ever World Boxing Championships to be hosted in the Middle East.
The opening ceremony to be graced by the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as the President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, will be held today at the state-of-the-art Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena.
Yousuf Ali Al Kazim, the Executive Director for the Doha 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships, and President of the Qatar Boxing Federation (QBF), is raring to go: “Our teams have worked tirelessly to get ready for the World Championships and with only one day to go there is a sense of real excitement about the place. Thanks to the great support from the AIBA delegation, and the relentless guidance from the Qatar Olympic Committee, we are confident that this marquee event will be a huge success.”
The World Championships will be broadcasted to a TV audience of close to 500 million across 112 different countries. The ten-day event will serve as qualifiers for next year’s Rio 2016 Olympics. 260 boxers from 74 countries will battle it out for the 23 qualifying spots.
Al Kazim hopes that the huge international interest for world boxing’s signature event will inspire locals to come and support their heroes: “This is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the best boxers on the planet go head to head right here in Doha. We will have Team Qatar competing for the first time on home soil, so there will be something for everyone to enjoy.”
AIBA Presdient Dr Ching-Kuo Wu was confident that Qatar will host one of the best championship.
“I am confident that Qatar will host a perfect championship. I have been here for 2006 Asian Games, and it was one of the best Games. I was also here for 2014 World Handball championship, so i am assured that Qatar will deliver a great championship.”
Meanwhile ace Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, is likely to visit Qatar for a day during the championship informed QBF officials, but a final confirmation will come in a day or two. QBF has also invited two-time former world champion UK pugilist Amir Khan and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson of America for the event in Doha.
The Peninsula
