Qatar eyes new bid for athletics championship

Qatar is reportedly keen to bid again for the World Athletics Championships after missing out on the 2017 edition last year. Officials are said to be looking at options for hosting the 2019 championships after being pipped by London for the 2017 event. Abdullah Ahmad Al Zaini, president of Qatar Association of Athletics Federation (QAAF) was quoted as saying that Qatar will complete a study on the possibility of hosting the 2019 worlds, Qatar daily The Peninsula reported. Al Zaini said Doha has unrivaled athletics infrastructure, the paper said, citing quotes published by Qatar News Agency. The news comes as Doha prepares to hold the first meeting of the 2012 Samsung Diamond League on Friday. Qatar has also submitted a formal bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games and is up against Baku, Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul. Last November, the IAAF decided by 16 votes to 10 to award the 2017 event to London following final presentations by the two bid teams in Monaco. Qatar's presentation included an offer of a $236m funding package to the IAAF, including underwriting an $80m budget for the event itself, as well as spending $120m on construction of an Athletics City and revamping the main stadium.