(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Rizwan Rehmat I The Peninsula
DOHA: Qatar will be looking to usher in a new era of athletes and fans when it stages the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
The September 27-October 6 event at the Khalifa International Stadium next year will be first edition of the World Athletics Championships to be hosted in the Middle East.
'We are determined to inspire, connect and excite new audiences in a new region through the power of athletics and leave a true legacy for the sport across the region, Dahlan Al Hamad, Director General of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), said yesterday.
'We will give opportunity to the emerging generations. We will provide the necessary support. Increased competitions including the night marathon - which has been approved by IAAF - will be of great attention. We are trying to achieve key goals mainly linking younger generation and including the family into the sports, he said.
Al Hamad was addressing the media where he revealed ticketing details to one of the most widely followed sports events in the world.
'The pricing is not just to sell tickets for profits. Our aims are bigger. We want to expand athletics in this region, Al Hamad said.
'A key objective for hosting the first IAAF World Athletics Championships in the region is to connect the world of athletics to emerging markets and inspire the next generation of athletes.
'To do that, we have structured innovative ticket packages to allow fans from all communities and backgrounds affordable access to the event so that our youngest fans can be introduced to world-class athletics, he said.
'Qatar believes it has a role to play to take sports around the region. Pricing has been settled to engage the new generation. This is something we believe in, he added.
'If you go through the stadium map, we have open seating plus other packages that also has room for majlis-like feel (at the event venue) plus there key seats near the finish line. We have corporate packages also, he said.
Al Hamad said athletics is not new to Qatar.
'If we talk about organising sports events, we to look at the history. We have organised big events. The journey (of hosting athletics events) started some 20 years ago. The World Championships next year will bring more attention and we know that, he said.
'Hosting top sports events is part of Qatar's 2030 vision, he said.
'We are incredibly excited to reach another milestone in our continuous preparations to host the first IAAF World Athletics Championships in the Middle East, Al Hamad said.
'The IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 are fast approaching. I am proud to say that Doha is ready, Al Hamad said.
'As we have shown, Khalifa International Stadium is ready following a three-year renovation process that included increasing its capacity and installing the cooling technology that will keep the track and field conditions at an optimum 24'C degrees year-round, he added.
'But lying at the very heart of our ambitions is a collective desire, alongside the IAAF, to take the sport to new fans, new athletes and new audiences of all ages and Interests. That Is why today is so vital and why we want to explain that these championships are different. Even our ticket offerings are innovative, he said.
'But the challenge remains. Still many around the world are not yet familiar with Qatar, our culture and our people. Many have not visited for themselves. We are aware of this.
'So we welcome the opportunity to bring greater understanding, to show and promote our country and our love of sports. To tell our own story and welcome all fans with open arms. One of our priorities in coming months will see us working on tailoring travel packages dedicated to the championships to make it easy and enticing for the world to join us.
'This is our mission, Al Hamad concluded.
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