Just watched Dina Asher-Smith win Gold in the 200m.
Brilliant, controlled run.
Not many in the stadium, but more than when she came second in the 100m.
Is Qatar the right place to hold these championships ?
Will the football be any better attended.
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Yes indeed, brilliant control, held her form all the way including past the finish line, a perfectly executed run.
The middle east is not the place for athletics, there is little local interest.
When I stayed in Dubai & Saudi, the only place for running was in a gym & these were only used by expats.
Its not the place for football either, not so sure about the group stages & suspect there will be empty seats, I expect there will be more spectators from outside the region for the knockout stages.
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So disappointing to see performances like that in an echoing 3/4 empty stadium. The organisers have become cagey about numbers but may have been only about 5000 some days in a venue designed for 40k.
Even more annoyed however by the concept of air conditioning an open air venue! Note the big vents just above ground level. At least some in Japan for RWC have a roof. What a grotesque waste of energy. What next? Skiing champs bought up by a Gulf state?
Asher-Smith is impressive, such progress now to compete with the best in both sprint events, and the heptathlete Johnson-Thompson has a fair shot at Gold today too.
Bruce
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A quick visit to the Burj Khalifa earlier this year and I assumed that they were already preparing for the next winter Olympics in Dubai …
Great performance by Dina, albeit in a reduced field. The men’s pole vault competition was gripping too, as is the heptathlon. It is a joy to see KJT enjoying her sport.
As for sport in Doha; yes raise the profile of sport, encourage participation by all, but not at the expense of common sense. It’s just too hot. The use of air-con is flagrantly extravagant.
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When you’re sitting on an oil well, in the heat and humidity of the Gulf, with lots of free energy, air conditioning is delightful.
I know. I lived in the Trucial States for three years and the south of Oman for two years. Often without air conditioning.
Let’s not condem others for using energy to keep cool, when we in the temperate zones use it to keep warm.
Perhaps the energy equation would look slightly better if it had been used to manufacture steel and aluminium for a roof and thus a need for less cooling.
Let’s concentrate on the sport and sportsmanship.
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Choosing to air condition a vast open air stadium for a sport event is rather different to personal spaces. Cheap oil creates as much CO2 as expensive oil.
I am questioning the logic of holding these events in a region simply unsuited.
Bruce
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Fingers crossed for KJT.
And there is a Brit in the women’s shot-put.
Good to see Daley Thompson still has his moustache too.
Just watching the shot put.
OK, most (but not all) of the competitors seem a bit overweight to me but, boy oh boy can they spin before releasing that shot !
I’m surprised at how accurately they release the shot in the right direction !
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Heptathlon final event, 800m at 22:15.
As Camphuw says …
Fingers crossed. Let’s hope nothing goes wrong !
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An athlete coming of age it seemed. Great stuff
What tough events the heptath/decathlon are.
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What went wrong in the relays ???
We used to practice baton handover at school with military precision !
Not sure whether to laugh or cry !
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Trucial states = modern day UAE ?
I looked up google
simpler to mention UAE so many others understand
IMO
regards
To my mind - largely athletics events are poorly attended but i expect the world cup football to be an altogether different event.
As long as the health of the players and spectators are protected and the country is able to meet its expenditure, me thinks any country can be a good host.
These days the environment is not much of a concern anyways…
regards
No. It was the Trucial States in which I lived.
Sure it is the same geographic area as the current UAE, but not the same culture by a country mile.
And I suppose I should have been clearer about Oman, it was in the southern area called Dhofar, more precisely, Salalah.
Anyway, both places were hot and humid and without air conditioning. But we played football quite happily.
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