BY RIZWAN REHMAT
DOHA: This week’s 18th Arab Athletics Championships will be accorded more importance than usual by the participants as the medal winners in Doha will move a step closer to securing a ticket to IAAF Athletics World Championships to be held in Moscow this year, a top official said yesterday.
Dahlan Al Hamad, President of Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF), said the May 21-24 event in Doha has attracted more than 360 athletes from across the Arab world.
The four-day championship will be held at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Athletes from 17 countries will take part in the championship.
“This is the first time the QAF will host this prestigious championship and what’s more, this week’s event in Doha is very important for the athletes because winners here are likely to represent their countries at the (IAAF) World Championships,” Al Hamad said.
“Normally this championship is a key event for the Arab athletes because most of the medal winners from the region use this event to get into rhythm for major events like the World Championships and the Olympic Games,” Al Hamad said.
“The number of participants this year is 368 (men and women). Qatar will have a batch of 31 athletes,” Al Hamad added.
“Four girls are also part of the list for us,” the QAF president added.
“The purpose to have a big batch for the event is to allow our, and the rest of the Arab athletes, the chance to qualify for the World Championships (to be held in August this year).
“According to IAAF rules, the Arab (Athletics) Championships can be used to qualify for the World Championships,” Al Hamad said.
He added that each of the athletes taking part in the IAAF World Championships must have won an event at regional track and field meets.
“Some of the athletes, for example Mutaz (Barshim), have already qualified,” the QAF chief explained yesterday.
“There are still some Arab or Qatari athletes targeting a berth in Moscow. So this is a good chance to attempt qualification,” he added.
“The younger athletes will get another chance when the (2013 World) Youth Championships are held in Ukraine (June 25-26). If they do well there, then they can still make it to the IAAF World Championships,” he added.
“We will have about six athletes at the World Championships in Moscow but we are trying to boost that number by sending around 20 athletes to the Youth Championships (in Ukraine),” Al Hamad said.
“Yes, the Barshim brothers (Mutaz and Muamer) are flying back from Shanghai today (yesterday) and will take part in this event,” the QAF president confirmed.
“Definitely,” Al Hamad said when asked if the Qatari athletes had improved their technical skills over the last few years.
“The coaches are happy that the Qatari athletes are doing well in events like the GCC Athletics Championships and then the IAAF Grand Prix. We were lucky that the weather was good in April (when the GCC Athletics Championships were held).
“These events help them overcome their issues. The coaches know where the problem is, if at all,” Al Hamad said.
“The only major concern for us, the QAF, is the injuries to athletes. Otherwise everything else is in place for our athletes to raise their profiles at major events,” he added.
“We will have four girls competing this week. They will take part in the hammer throw, discuss, shot put and heptathlon events. We were going to field female athletes in the 100m and the 200m finals also but our coaches advised against it as our athletes are not fit enough,” Al Hamad said.
The UAE hosted the 17th Arab Athletics Championships at Al Ain’s Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium from October 26-29 in 2011. Qatar finished 4th on the medals table.
More than 500 men and women from 18 countries took part in the event held in Damascus in 2009.
“This championship started in 1977 and we won three bronze medals then. From that time, we have continued taking part in the Arab Athletics Championships,” Al Hamad said.
THE PENINSULA
