Doha beats bids from Eugene, Oregon and Barcelona to host 2019 Athletics Worlds

Doha will host the 2019 athletics world championships, winning a secret IAAF vote Tuesday after losing out to London three years ago. This time, the Qatari capital beat an American bid from Eugene, Oregon, and Spanish city Barcelona in the vote by the IAAF’s 27-member ruling council. Doha’s victory was another major sporting boost for Qatar, the oil-rich country that will host the World Cup in 2022. “We had a dream for organizing such an event for a long time,” said Dahlan al Hamad, the president of Qatar’s athletics federation. [caption id=“attachment_1809531” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational Image. Reuters[/caption] The IAAF said Doha received 12 votes in the first ballot while Eugene had nine and Barcelona had six, eliminating the Spanish bid. Doha won 15-12 in the decisive second round. The bid teams from all three cities made final presentations to IAAF officials ahead of the vote at a Monte Carlo hotel. IAAF President Lamine Diack announced the winning bid. “I am sure that in Doha we will have a wonderful edition of the world championships,” Diack said. During its final presentation, Doha’s bid representatives challenged the IAAF to be bold and take the championships to a region it has never been to before. “Are you willing to expand the sport we love? Are you willing to inspire the younger generation?” Qatari high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim asked the IAAF officials. Eugene was attempting to bring the world championships to the United States for the first time since they were established in 1983, and had backing from Olympic champions Allyson Felix and Ashton Eaton. Bidders from Barcelona had hoped to revive the spirit that saw the city host the 1992 Olympics. Instead, Qatar made history as the first Arabic country to host the outdoor worlds. Doha hosted the world indoors in 2010. Qatari bid officials also said that the championships would be held at the end of September and beginning of October, moving them from their usual date in August to avoid the worst of the country’s desert heat. Qatar’s bid to hold the world championships has been seen as a possible step toward trying to host the Olympics in 2024. The athletics world championships are held every two years. Beijing will host next year’s worlds and London will stage the championships in 2017. AP