I wanted to express my sincere thanks and congratulations to you for the excellent Media Services provided by your department at the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships held in Doha on 12-14 March 2010.
 

I must also admit that it was very challenging job for you and your Team to deliver this successful result, acknowledging that you have been appointed to run the Media & Broadcast Operations only 5-6 months before the event.

In any case the level of Media Services at this event was outstanding, on a par with that of the IOC Olympic Games and the IAAF World Outdoor Championships and even higher than the very successful organization of the OCA Asian Games which Doha hosted in 2006 and I have a personal experience.
 

Of course the excellent facilities at the Aspire Dome played an important role, but the services provided by your Staff were also of a very high standard. This together with their friendliness and helpfulness were instrumental in the very positive evaluation we received from the world media covering the event.
 

The comments gathered from many journalists, photographers and officials after the conclusion of the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships were that this was the best edition ever.
 

I hope we will be able to work together again on future IAAF events and renew my sincere thanks to you and your Team, which was composed by highly experienced and very professional Senior Staff who was always capable to handle efficient any critical situation.

It was a real pleasure to work with you.

The ceremony was held at the Al Sharq hotel in attendance of Lamine Diack, IAAF Chief, HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, QOC Secretary General, top IAAF and LOC officials, participating athletes delegates and other guests.

During the ceremony, the WIC flag was handed over by Lamine Diack to the next host nation representative, Mohmmad Tarzi, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 14th IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships to be staged in Turkey.

Later, IAAF Chief presented a medal of excellence and appreciation to HE Sheikh Saoud for the successful organising of the event.

“Qatar has one of the world’s best sport infrastructures and the experience of hosting major events in the state,” said Al Hamad on the eve of the closing ceremony of the event.

Al Hamad added, “The success of the IAAF Indoor Championships reflects Qatar’s organisations abilities and the ambition of becoming the sports hub in the region.”

Diack was happy with the overall success of the prestigious event and conveyed his thanks and appreciations to the Organising Committee for their achievement.

IAAF Chief also praised the attendance of spectators who came to witness and cheer their favourite athletes during the three-day championship which concluded Sunday.

Addressing the local media Al Zaini stressed that during these days of the event, top Qatari officials received cables of congratulation from sport individuals and organisations around the world that applauded country’s success in hosting this major sport event.

“Qatar’s top officials and the organising committee has received cables of congratulations praising the organisational level and professional approach.

“I appreciate the efforts of our team in playing major role in making this huge event successful,” said Al Zaini.

The attendance of fans exceeded all expectations by the Organising Committee at the 13th IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships during the opening ceremony and the following day of finals.

“The tickets were sold out two days prior to the opening ceremony; unfortunately hundreds of fans missed out on attending the opening ceremony at the Aspire Dome,” said Al Dosari.

Al Dosari added: “The tremendous attendance of fans, athletic lovers and enthusiasts has positively contributed in securing splendid success for the championship”.

The WIC Marketing Committee chief also appreciated the tangible role played by Qatari media in presenting a distinctive coverage for the prestigious event.

The occasion was also graced by the presence of Mr. Lamine Diack, IAAF President, HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, QOC Secretary General and Chairman of the Organising Committee.

HE Sheikh Saoud praised the efforts of the working committees, volunteers and media for the success of the event. He also felicitated them for their contribution.

Richards praised the organising committee for their efforts in organising the 13th IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championship at one of the world’s best sports venue, Aspire.

Successful SOP participation in the IAAF WIC activities

The Schools Olympic Program ended its participation in the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships, Doha 2010. The SOP stand in the Fan Zone received visitors of high number of fans, especially children and families.

Among the distinguished visitors at the stand, was the Women Athlete of the Year 2009, the American 400m runner, Sanya Richards who was given details about the Schools Olympic Program.

Sanya was impressed by the program and the role it is playing in promoting sport in the country.

Sanya Richards was invited by the IAAF in the framework of the promotion of the Diamond League Series whose first meeting will be staged in Doha, on May 14, 2010 and which will be hosted by many cities in various continents.

She participated in a few races with some children who were so happy and impressed by the American athlete.

Mr. Khalil Al Jaber, Executive Director of SOP, thanked all students participating in the program, and underlined the success of the drawing competition for children and was happy to see in their eyes the pride of having achieved beautiful drawings and of taking part in the prestigious event.

Developed by SEIKO, VDM uses state of the art software and video camera hardware to capture images taken from cameras aimed at the sandpit, which are then displayed on a computer screen.

Similar to photofinish, a cursor line can be placed with pin point accuracy on the leading edge of the impression in the sand made by the athlete to measure the distance. Two specially calibrated cameras aimed at the long jump/triple jump pit are located outside of the in-field in a position where they have an uninterrupted view of the landing areas. All the SEIKO equipment, operators and the officials who will judge each attempt are located in the SEIKO operations room overlooking the in-field.

A series of calibration set up processes before the event starts, ensures that the equipment is operating and measuring correctly; test measurements before and after each competition, compared against currently used EDM equipment, also ensures correct operation throughout any one event.

The advantages of the VDM are varied – the system is as accurate, as the traditional EDM system, however, in some instances, the point of measurement can be more precisely identified. Plus no implement (spike) is being used that might displace the sand around the mark as well as eliminating one extra person from the field of play.

Other important advantages are that a record is kept of each attempt in case of enquiry or protests, as well as allowing the possibility of the image to be shown on television or the stadium video screen as we currently do with photo-finish.

Attending the inauguration ceremony Sheikh Ahmad said, “Qatar has set high-standards in organising major events in the Gulf region and have dealt professionally with the growing success of hosting international events.

“Qatar’s ambitions reach no limit, and we as brothers in the Gulf region are proud to witness and be part of these achievements and success.

“Thanks to the Qatari leadership, government and the people for organising such big event in the Middle East and adding another dimension to the growing success of hosting major events in this region,” Sheikh Ahmad added.

Speaking about Bahrain’s participation in the event, Sheikh Ahmad said, “Our athletes have been training hard in preparation for this event and we hope to achieve medals.”