First Vice President of QOC to QNA: Qatar Currently Capable of Hosting Olympic Games

Doha, January 09 (QNA) - First Vice President of Qatar Olympic Committee, President of Qatar Fencing and Weightlifting and Asian Weightlifting Federations Mohammed Yousef Al Mana underlined that the State of Qatar is currently capable of hosting the Summer Olympic Games in light of all potential and elements owned by the country similar to what happened in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament. He promised to present a Qatari male or female champion from those who showed up in the west Asia championship and Qatar cup other than the Qatari weightlifter Faris Ibrahim to make major achievement in Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Mana said that the State of Qatar is capable of hosting the Olympic Games starting from tomorrow through the fully equipped hotels, stadiums, halls, transportation process and other technical and logistic facilitations, adding that FIFA world cup is a testimony for this capability which was a miracle in everything. Hosting any event must be supported by expertise and a bright vision for the future, he said, adding that the State of Qatar is capable today of easily organizing the Summer Olympic Games, however, such hosting has various matters, whether in terms of political, economic or sports, but Qatar must start and should have 100 percent correct file, specially that the country has a problem with the technical and economic files, Al Mana pointed out. The President of Qatar Fencing and Weightlifting said that if Qatar did win to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2036, it would be entitled to organize 2040 Olympic Games, since this matter is not merely an objective to lead, but a right for every single Qatari citizen and resident on this country, he said. Commenting on the preparations to host the 2030 Asian Games, Al Mana underscored that the State of Qatar is henceforth ready to host the event from all aspects, adding that there is no problem on such matter, as no further effort or enormous work will be required as was the case before hosting the 2006 Asian Games. He pointed out that the matter is only contingent upon the organizational and logistic aspects, confirming that organizing the Asian Games this time will not consume further effort, task or funds similar to what happened in the previous time. He confirmed that what had been accomplished by the State of Qatar in organizing the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 had not been achieved by any country in the past, whether at the level of world cups or Olympic games. No entity will be capable of achieving that at the present time, he said, stressing that what had transpired in Qatar through organizing the largest and most illustrious football tournament at the global level was evidently legendary and would never be replicated once again. In addition, Al Mana stressed that the policy pursued by the Olympic committee under the leadership of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani underpins the cultivation of sports values ​​and awareness, and affords the right to all people in order to practice sport, not merely to win the medals or a sporting tournament, but to be primarily reflected on the people's health, specially that the primary objective of sports is to maintain sports health and awareness that are correctly based on competition in a transparent manner. He pointed out that one of the plans of the Olympic committee entails the continuation of the momentum that was achieved after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament for the sake of making the State of Qatar the capital of sports, not only in the region, but in the entire world. He noted that Qatar has competencies at the highest levels, along with young people whom the state boasts of, including sports institutions, stadiums, halls, training venues and distinguished hotels. All these things will primarily help Qatar host the major global tournaments in various games, he said. Al-Mana revealed that the State of Qatar will host many international championships during the coming period in various sports, including the FINA World Swimming Championships, the World Judo Championships, and the Qatar Weightlifting Cup that qualifies for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He believed that weightlifting is one of the toughest and most difficult sports in the international Olympic movement, because it requires special specifications, whether physically, psychologically or physiologically, considering that it is difficult to find champions in affluent societies in difficult and harsh sports such as weightlifting and other individual games, and if he is found to be temporary and for a specific period, as it takes about twenty years for a new champion to appear. He explained that the daily training sessions for the weightlifting champions take place in three periods, the first from eight in the morning to twelve in the afternoon, and the second period between three and six in the evening, while the third period is before sleeping for an hour, which is about agility and relaxation exercises for the player. He considered that the small number of athletes who practice weightlifting is due to its difficulty and its need for great effort and work, as well as time, patience and endurance of injuries, in addition to the development of physical and muscular build. He pointed out that the weightlifter needs from 3 to 5 years in order to reach the best level that qualifies him to compete for an Olympic or international medal. Al-Mana stressed, during his interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the Qatar national team has good athletes, and is counting on preparing them well in the coming period and qualifying them for the Olympics to accomplish an achievement in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He promised that there would be a Qatari champion who appeared in the West Asian Championships and the Qatar Cup, in the next Olympics, in the event that he did not suffer an injury and complete the preparation and qualification program according to the same set strategy. Regarding the chances of weightlifter Faris Ibrahim to win the gold medal in the 2024 Olympics, given that he will have to compete in the 102 kg weight competitions instead of 96 kg, Al Mana, said that the reduction of the number of competitions in the sport of weight Lifting in the Olympics is a serious problem that will affect all lifters and quads, not just Ibrahim. In light of the attempts of some competitors to increase or decrease their weights in order to play at a specific weight, Al Mana stressing the difficulty of this matter due to the fact that physical building needs time, since it is not just a matter of an increase in weight, but rather a matter of an increase in muscle mass, in such a way that is compatible with the nervous system, requiring technical movement represented by neuromuscular coordination that helps the quad in less than a second to lift the weight from the ground to above their head. Al Mana added that the federation is currently looking to provide a nutritionist and a specialist to weightlifter Faris Ibrahim for him to build his muscle mass in order for him to meet the required technical standards to qualify to compete for the gold medal in the Paris 2024 Olympic, in such a way that avoids him injuries. The President of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation stressed that he did not know the main reason that prompted the International Olympic Committee to reduce the number of competitions in weightlifting for the second time, when there use to be 8 weights for men and 7 for women, which got reduced to 7 weights for both, only to then shrink to 5 weights for both genders in the next Olympics. Al Mana expected that the matter may be related to Asia’s supremacy and monopoly on the majority of gold medal in recent Olympic Games editions, or perhaps related to the fact that weightlifting does not generate the appropriate income, neither from television broadcasting, nor sponsorship or advertisements. Al Mana considered that the State of Qatar’s hosting of one of the qualifying sessions for the Paris 2024 Olympic, as well as five out of the seven qualifying sessions for Asia, is an honor for the State of Qatar first, as well as for Qatar’s presidency of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) second. The President of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation noted international confidence in the ability of the AFC to host and organize championships in the best possible way, by virtue of the strength of the continent and its superiority over the levels of arbitration, weightlifters and women’s quarterbacks, in addition to conducting doping examinations, indicating at the same time that the Qatar Cup was also a qualifying tournament for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The President of the Qatari and Arab Weightlifting Federations said that his winning a third term as president of the Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF) is due to his good relations with all federations in Asia, since he took office at the presidency of the Qatar Federation upon its establishment in 1998, based on the principles of transparency, clarity and frankness, as well as always standing by what’s right and helping Asian athletes to reach the best levels at the international and Olympic levels. Al Mana continued he is not afraid of competing with anyone for the presidency of the AFC, due to the number of the federation’s general assembly members standing at 44 members, with Al Mana having in the worst-case scenario between 33 to 35 votes. He added that there is nothing wrong with making it to any position, although this does not mean that competitors for the position do not exist, especially that it is a legitimate right for every president of a local weightlifting federation on the continent. However, Al Mana elaborated those elections took place in a family atmosphere, especially that everyone works for the service of the sport. The first vice president of the Olympic Committee indicated that the AWF's elections of the AWF took place in a healthy and an appropriate environment for all, as preference and consensus in selection were given to qualified candidates in various positions, pointing out that whoever did not succeed in elections will be appointed to the positions of vice presidents, and to the Executive Office and the various committees to benefit from his expertise. At the end of his interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Mana said that Arabs won the lion's share in the AFC elections, having won the positions of president, secretary-general, first vice-president and vice-president, as well as four members of the executive office, considering that they are a good outcome for Arabs in the council, because of their competence and ability to work in the development of this sport in Asia. (QNA)