The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar - Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) President Ali Ahmed Al Hitmi said that the success of the last year’s FIG World Gymnastics Championships will reflect positively on the FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championship, which will be hosted later this month.
Speaking to the press, Al Hitmi discussed the preparation for the Doha round, set to be held from March 20 to March 23 at Aspire Dome and with 58 countries participating.
He said that the QGF takes the task of organising the round as a challenge it wants to succeed in, especially after organising the region’s first FIG World Gymnastics Championships last October.
On participation of the large number of competitors in the event, Al Hitmi highlighted that the number of participants at Worlds last year was the highest in the history of the competition.
He maintained that QGF is capable of organising the competition well.
Al Hitmi added that everyone is working on showing the real image of Qatar, highlighting that the federation has strategy for hosting the large number of participants.
On the most important gains from hosting these World Championships, he highlighted that the eyes of participating countries will be on Qatar at a time the country is subject to an unjust blockade and fake news propagated against Qatar.
He highlighted that the best way to respond to those lies is by organising major international tournaments that will show the real image of Qatar to the world.
The QGF President also noted that coordination between the organising committee was going very well, highlighting the great expertise they have in organising major events.
Al Hitmi added that organising international sporting events was part of investing in human capital, a main component of Qatar National Vision 2030, by helping young Qatari athletes gain experience.
On whether some of the participating delegations will arrive earlier to prepare for the competition, Al Hitmi noted that some of the participating countries have already arrived. Their reason behind that is to get used to the environment, in terms of the time difference for instance, he said.