Spectacular athletics action will return to Doha – home to the 2019 World Athletics Championships – this Friday when top track and field stars will compete at the eagerly-awaited Diamond League (DL) meet at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium.
Thrilling contests are on the cards in as many as 14 disciplines, which are on the roster for the event. The preparation for the one-day meet in Doha, the most popular stop of the series, is in full swing as Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF), which has been hosting the athletics meets for more than two decades, is confident of hosting another successful competition.
QAF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), will hold the event under strict COVID-19 protocols to ensure health and safety of all athletes, team officials and other stakeholders. As part of the preventive measures, there will be no fan-attendance at the venue.
The Friday’s meet has been dubbed very important for the athletes as it will be held less than two months before the Tokyo Olympics, which is scheduled to start on July 23. Last year, Doha staged the meet in September after COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the DL season. But despite that a total of 116 athletes including 27 Olympics and World medalists descended on Doha, making the meet a huge hit.
This year too many big names will participate in the Doha Diamond League (DDL). The stellar line-up includes Qatar’s world high jump champion Mutaz Barshim along with Kenya’s world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot, America’s Sha’Carri Richardson (USA), the fastest woman in the world this year and women’s pole vault world champion Anzhelika Sidorova (ANA).
Barshim warmed up for the DDL at the Ready Steady Tokyo meeting earlier this month, claiming joint first position with Japan’s Naoto Tobe after leaping 2.30m. On his participation in the competition, Barshim said: “All of my efforts have been, and continue to be, focused on this summer’s Olympic Games and I believe I’ve used my time wisely to prepare and train well. Now it’s time to compete and I’m looking forward to opening my Diamond League campaign in Doha.”
The event is also a golden opportunity for other Qatari athletes to prepare for Olympics. They will return home from overseas training camps to compete in home events. Apart from Barshim, star 400m hurdler Abdarrahman Samba – a bronze medalist at Doha 2019 World Championships, Abubaker Haydar Abdalla (800m), Musaab Adam (1500m) and Abdulrahman Saeed Hassan (1500m) will represent Al Annabi in the meeting. With its vast experience in hosting athletics events, the QAF will surely deliver another memorable meet, featuring big stars.
