The focus shifted to the 2019 Qatar World Athletics Championships after the curtains descended on the London edition of the biennial event.
London will be remembered for the departure of athletics’ biggest star- Usain Bolt. Mohammed Farah was yet another superstar that called it quits.
In Uganda’s case, Joshua Chepetegei will always be the man to remember, having gallantly battled to a silver medal.
As we now turn to 2019, serious concerns come into play. The big question is whether Qatar has what it takes to successfully organize the event.
The tiny, wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar was in the spotlight immediately it won the rights to host the 2019 athletics meet.
Qatar, with a population of 2.2m, had earlier also been selected as the site for the site for the 2022 Football World Cup.
Qatar’s choice as world cup venue generated widespread debate because of allegations of corruption in the bidding process and concerns about human rights issues related to foreigners’ working on construction projects.
The choice of Doha as venue for the next world athletics meet equally raised serious concerns. The biggest amongst these was the scorching temperatures.
Temperatures between 28 September and 6 October, when the event will take place, are likely to top 37C, which will be dangerous for middle- and long-distance runners.
You’ve certainly not forgotten what happened to Cheptegei at the World Cross Country in Kololo.
High afternoon temperatures had him burning out thereby missing out on possible gold before settling for a distant 30th position.
“It is not going to be easy. But we shall have to adjust,” says Cheptegei, who after Farah’s departure from rack, is seen as the next king of long distance running.
It is for similar reasons that an adjustment has been made in the marathon.
Both the men and women’s marathon will for the first time be run at night. This will be on a lighted course.
It will be interesting to see how Uganda adjusts to this innovation. If running on our streets during the day is dangerous what about at night?
The bulk of our streets are not lit. Then there is the scramble for space with cars and boda bodas. You then also have open man holes and sewers to maneuver!
And not only athletes are bound to be affected by the extreme temperatures. There is likelihood of half empty stands as spectators keep away from the intense heat.
Organisers are however putting up a spirited fight in their quest to assure the public that all will be well.
They made it clear in their presentation to IAAF that they were prepared to use cooling technology in the outdoor stadium if the world athletics body deems it necessary.
Qatar can paint the event as a paradise. The facts on the ground could however be a completely different issue.
So the sooner we started preparing for our sojourn in the desert the better.
