Fans will “definitely” flock to next year’s world championships in Qatar, the vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations insisted on Thursday, exactly one year ahead of track and field’s biennial showpiece.
Amid fears of possible low attendances at the first such championships to be held in the Middle East, Dahlan Al Hamad said fans would pack Doha’s refurbished Khalifa International Stadium for athletics’ premier event next season.
“Definitely. These are the world championships, not a small event, we are expecting a lot of people,” he told AFP on the sidelines of an event to mark the start of the one-year countdown.
Organisers are putting together ticket packages designed for international and local fans, they said, starting at around $16 (Rs 1,160).
Premium seats on the track’s finish line will cost around $80 (Rs 5,800).
Diamond League events at the much smaller Qatar Sports Club venue in Doha have been traditionally well attended, packed by Kenyan and Ethiopian fans, many of who were let in for free.
Hamad said up to 25,000 spectators from overseas were expected for the event which lasts from September 27 until October 6, 2019.
It will arguably be the biggest global sporting event yet hosted by ultra-ambitious gas-rich Qatar, ahead of its football World Cup in 2022.
The event, added Hamad, a Qatari, was a ‘dry-run’ for the World Cup and would help show case pioneering techniques such as air-conditioned stadiums.
Organisers insist issues such as the desert country’s fierce heat will not be a problem, with the 40,000-seat stadium air conditioned throughout the championships to a temperature of around 24 degrees Celsius (75 Fahrenheit).
The technology allows for the track and the stands to be regulated at different temperatures.
Asked about a potential boycott by neighbouring Gulf states because of a long-running diplomatic dispute, Hamad said Qatar would welcome athletes from all countries.
IAAF president Sebastian Coe said, in a prepared statement, that the event would be “hugely exciting”.