The first decision at the World Athletics Championships in Doha this evening is one thing that makes clear the issue of this host. Where in the evening is already the wrong expression: The marathon of women is started at midnight in midnight - an earlier beginning would have been unreasonable in the high outside temperatures in the emirate. Which raises the question as to why these World Championships should take place in Qatar on the first day of the competition. These and all other important questions and answers about the World Cup can be found here.
Why is Qatar the host of the World Championships in Athletics?
Because the emirate in the decision 2014, the contract of the World Association IAAF under the chairmanship of the then President Lamine Diack received. The US city of Eugene in Oregon and Barcelona also applied. Qatar is said to have offered then, in addition to the original budget to invest $ 37 million in addition. Spain's athletics president said after the Barcelona candidate had been defeated, that "by far the worst candidate had prevailed". At a very early stage, there were also suspicions that corruption had played a role in the award.
How concrete is the suspicion of corruption?
According to SPIEGEL information, a French investigating judge interrogated Qatar's most influential sports official on corruption suspicion in the World Cup award. The investigators interviewed Nasser Al-Khelaifi in June on a draft contract between the Qatari Organizing Committee for the World Athletics Championships and The Sporting Age, which is attributed to Senegalese father Massata Diack. This is reported by SPIEGEL in its latest issue.
Khalaifi, Minister of the Qatari government and President of Paris Saint-Germain, called for his right to remain silent at the meeting in Paris. This is clear from the interrogation protocol that the French portal Mediapart, the Guardian and the SPIEGEL were able to see.
Read the article here:
- Midnight Marathon: Why does the World Athletics Championships take place in the heat of Qatar?
YAHYA ARHAB / EPA-EFE / REX
The Khalifa Stadium, cooled down to 26 degrees
What criticism is the host also complaining?
Qatar has been criticized for years for working conditions in the construction of sports facilities. Only last week Amnesty International had spoken of catastrophic conditions, as far as stadium construction was concerned, among other things for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Qatar is "a playground for unscrupulous employers" says the report. Qatar committed in 2017 to compliance with labor law standards. However, according to Amnesty, these standards are regularly violated.
What role do temperatures play on the ground?
Unlike other sporting events in the past, such as the swimming World Cup or the World Handball Championship, the heat factor is still a burden for athletes. The daytime temperatures are still beyond 35 degrees, the marathon and walking competitions were therefore postponed to the night. Also German top athletes like long jumper Malaika Mihambo and javelin thrower Johannes Vetter have expressed their lack of understanding about the assignment to Qatar. "If there were any officials who would take care of the athletes and not the coal, the World Cup would probably have been given to a country where there are not such abnormally high temperatures," Vetter said.
Nariman El-Mofty AP
Marathon training on the night of Doha
The competitions in the Khalifa Stadium itself should not affect this - because the arena is to be kept artificially by a cooling system at 26 degrees temperature. That is the contribution of athletics to the climate protection debate.
Because it would be even hotter in the summer, the World Cup was put into early autumn. However, such a late-season highlight is already clashing with many athletes with their Olympic preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games. The IAAF also accepts this point.
Is a big spectacle to be expected?
No. Qatar is not an athletics country, at the 2017 World Cup, the emirate has won two medals, two years before none. At night at the marathon track only a few spectators are expected. Ticket sales for the stadium competitions have been sluggish so far, and only a few visitors from the athletics affine nations are expected.
What about the doping issue?
The Russian athletes may except for a small delegation again this year as a result of the accused them of full-scale doping not participate, here has the current world governing body and Diack successor Sebastian Coe enforced its line. In the run-up, reports of three missed doping tests by new US sprint star Christian Coleman also caused a stir. Coleman is allowed to start after a association political pull-up, but still at the World Cup.
Giuseppe Cacace AFP
IAAF boss Sebastian Coe is also slightly thoughtful
What about the sporting aspects?
Usain Bolt is no longer there, athletics has lost its superstar. Nevertheless, those responsible hope for attractive competitions, for example in the men's pole vault, where the role of favorite is completely open. Qatar relies on the high jump - here Mutaz Essa Barshim has his chance as a local hero. Missing is South Africa's running superstar Caster Semenya. After a month-long back and forth about her testosterone values and the requirements imposed by her, she waived a start.
And the DLV athletes?
Long jump favorite Mihambo and the Gold contenders in men's javelin throw their big performance until the final day of the World Cup. Long-distance rider Konstanze Klosterhalfen, who caused the biggest stir in the DLV this year, will not find it easy against the competition from Africa to win a medal. Two years ago, the DLV athletes won five medals, this goal is easy to improve is realistic.
This topic comes from the new SPIEGEL magazine - available at the kiosk from Saturday morning and every Friday at SPIEGEL + and in the digital magazine edition.
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