DOHA: Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF) is set to honour names like Roqaya Al Gassra, Bahrain’s top female sprinter, and Mohamed Salman Al Khuwalidi, the Saudi long jumper, during the three-day GCC Athletics meet beginning today.
Dahlan Al Hamad, President, QAF yesterday said Qatar had proposed the plan last month and will start the proceedings by acknowledging the feat of Qatar’s Talal Mansour and Mutaz Barshim, the London 2012 Olympic Games bronze winner in the long jump.
In a historic performance, Qatar’s Mutaz became one of three bronze-winning athletes in the men’s high jump final at the London Games on August 7 last year.
The young Qatari won the bronze in front of 80,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium.
Prince Nawaf bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Saud, President, Saudi Arabian Amateur Athletics Federation, and former QAF chief Abdullah Al Zaini will also be honoured with medallions, Al Hamad said.
“We are also going to present Mutaz Barshim with a special award. We know he is an active athlete but he still deserves to be respected for what he has done so far,” Al Hamad said.
Roqaya, a popular figure for young women athletes in the region was one of the first women to represent Bahrain at the Olympic Games by taking part in the women’s 100m sprint at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
She won medals at the 2006 Asian Games and went on to run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. She announced her international retirement in 2009.
Al Hamad said QAF has plans to make proposals at a meeting of regional chiefs (athletics) during the three-day championships.
He said prior to the meeting of the presidents of athletics bodies across the region, a separate meeting of other top officials will also be held in Doha.
“The leadership in Qatar is keen to bring nations together through sports,” Al Hamad said during a press conference in the run up to the championships to be held at Khalifa Staidum.
“This will be first step for the regional athletics family to come closer in this fashion. We will hold discussions and make proposals,” Al Hamad said.
“The successful agreements would be taken to the National Olympic Committees in the region and then possibly to the Asian body and the IAAF,” he said.
Qatar will be making proposals on creating a ‘kids festival’ for young athletes from across the Middle East. The QAF is also keen to stage a championships designed for female athletes.
QAF is preparing for a series of activities with the Heir Apparent Athletics Cup and the Emir Athletics Cup events scheduled for later this month.
On May 10, the QAF will assemble top names like Yohan Blake of Jamaica and David Rudhisha of Kenya for the one-day Samsung Diamond League season-opener at Qatar Sports Club Stadium.
THE PENINSULA
