The Athletics World Championship in Qatar is over - and it was not all bad. The performance of the organizers may be praised. The fact that the organizers distributed free tickets to the mid-term of the competitions, in order to finally get the grandstands in the Khalifa Stadium to make for a bit of mood - also a good reaction. And it was not that hot at least at the events in the air-conditioned arena.
The conditions were the problem of this World Cup, the tournament shined accordingly, especially in terms of mitigation.
The president of the German Athletics Association Jürgen Kessing did not think much of a better conclusion. Well, sometimes it was too cool because of the high performance of the air conditioners in the stadiums, he said.
But it was still pretty warm words for an event that probably took place only in this country, because kickbacks should have flowed. In a fair competition Qatar would have probably never received this event. Also not allowed to get. Read the background here: Marathon at midnight - why does the World Athletics Championships take place in the heat of Qatar?
Even if they managed to ignore the suspicion of corruption, this World Cup provided enough other reasons to interpret it as a further derailment in a sports world characterized by gigantism and bribery.
So where does the best start: with the many guest workers who toiled on the construction sites for Qatar's sporting events dead? Freedom of expression, which is limited in Qatar; in the suppression of homosexuals? The sport likes to create identity, but when does he want to start doing it?
Limits were exceeded
Also from the point of view of many athletes the conclusion to this World Cup should be respectful. There have been 48 marathon runners who had to give up their race in extreme heat and humidity, many of them have collapsed and had to be wheeled off the track. The indoor events may have been bearable, for the marathon and walking competitions limits have been exceeded, so it was a health concern.
ALI HAIDER / EPA-EFE / REX
Marathon runner Anne-Mari Hyrylainen from Finland in a wheelchair
IAAF President Sebastian Coe, formerly a world-class middle-distance runner, would have been happy to attend this event as a former athlete, he said in his consistently positive conclusion. There has been "no heat stroke on the long haul." Coe seems to be a half glass type.
Today, the British sees himself above all as a PR man in athletics, he colors things beautifully and circumvents critical demands. That there was a doping ban against the athletics coach Alberto Salazar during the World Cup? So far, Coe has only been able to read a summary, but it was quite enough not to raise any suspicions against today's Nike Oregon Project athletes. And what about the hormone surgeries performed on former female athletes by today's IAAF chief physician to lower her testosterone levels - the only way they could have been re-seeded? According to Coe, the interventions had nothing to do with the rule.
The athlete becomes less important
With these ARD revelations, the World Cup started, and they continued with negative headlines, with the cameras filmed by sprinters and sprinters from below. In the middle of the step. It only seems important that the TV stations are richer by one camera setting. Privacy of athletes? Secondary.
Oliver Weiken / dpa
Decathlete Niklas Kaul
The athlete himself becomes less important. How else can you explain why the pros had to spend an extra month on their training this season to stay in shape at the peak of the year in October, rather than in August? in order to be able to celebrate World Cup victories partly in front of empty grandstands? When Niklas Kaul celebrated his decathlon victory in a lap of honor with all other multi-fighters from the men's and women's competition, athletes should have been in the majority compared to fans in the stadium. It was 1 o'clock in the morning.
The World Cup is over, but Qatar will remain in the sports world. The country has secured huge series of events in recent years. The biggest prestige project is still to come - the Football World Cup 2022.
The country is already in the sign of this tournament. Anyone who moves in Doha sees mainly major construction sites. Motorways, metro lines, luxury hotels, new state facilities - the city is virtually completely retraced to shine in the spotlight in winter in three years. Someone like Coe would say: sporting events are catalysts of urban development. That may be true. Is that just a question, for whom?
GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP
Construction worker in Qatar
After the World Cup 2022, the work permits of several guest workers expire, they are then no longer needed and must leave the country. The tourists will come here first, Qatar will build on this for the post-World Cup future, to become independent of oil. The aim is to promote the World Cup, but the country spends billions. A risky plan, because Qatar is attractive for mass tourism as a tourist destination only in the slightly milder winter.
At any rate, this Athletics World Cup did not pay for a positive image of Qatar. Even if you do not have to share every outrage, there are plenty of arguments to remember that prove that there should never have been a World Cup in this place.
