DOHA: Qatar yesterday wowed the IAAF's inspectors with its eco-friendly cooling technology the country plans to use if it wins the race to stage the 2017 World Championships of Athletics.
Bob Hersh, the head of the visiting IAAF Evaluation Commission, said he was impressed with Qatar's idea of using artificial means to cool down searing temperatures the state witnesses during the month of September.
"We were out there this morning (at Al Sadd Stadium) and saw actual demonstration of that cooling technology. It's a developing technology but you could see the potential and that air conditioning an outdoor stadium can be done. We saw that it can work," Hersh said during a press conference.
"It is a first generation technology. They are still developing it. I think they can create favourable conditions for athletes and fans," the American said.
Doha has planned solar-powered cooling system at the 40,000-seat Khalifa Stadium. The system will blow cool air below the seats and cool the field.
Doha's proposed dates for the championships are from September 9 to 17. London is the only rival aiming to stop Doha from winning the race.
The host of the 2017 championships will be announced on November 11 in Monaco, France.
Hersh, who is also a senior Vice President of the IAAF, admitted heat was probably the biggest concern for Doha.
"It's hot," Hersh said. "We all know that the heat is an obvious concern here in Doha in the month of September when championship is proposed to be held. What the Qataris showed us is the possibility of air conditioning an open stadium."
Hersh's observations came after two days of inspections completed by the Evaluation Commission.
When pointed out that summer temperatures in Qatar can soar above 40 degrees Celsius, Hersh said tough conditions are nothing new for the athletics family.
"This is not something new. We have had (world) championships in Athens (1997) and Seville (1999) where the weather was extremely hot. We have had athletes competing in warm weather and it is something that athletes deal with," Hersh said. "It is certainly not a deal breaker. The fact we have world championships in warm weather in the summer months almost inevitably means in certain places it will be warm."
The IAAF official said research work carried out at Aspetar - Qatar's state-of-the-art sports medicine hospital - has shown that heat does not impact an athlete's performance a great deal.
Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and the Chairman of the Doha 2017 World Championships Bid Committee, said Doha remained confident of winning the race.
"We are confident, very confident with our bid file. We are not only confident in our bid file but confident that we can take the world championship to the next level. We are promising to do one of the best world championships and that we can remove any barriers in terms of heat," Sheikh Saoud said during a separate press conference.
"Bringing the world championships to the Middle East for the first time would allow the IAAF to expand its reach and tap a market of at least 450 million people. It (the championships) would also open the door for other arid nations to host big sports events," the top QOC official added.
© The Peninsula 2011
