Where are all the spectators IAAF?

Doha

The opening weekend of the World Championships in Athletics in Doha was a sporting success; the top athletes of the world made tremendous results, and many field sports saw great battles for victory until their final performances.

Millions of TV viewers saw this and got into the mood - which didn't really exist.

While the World Championships were played for full stadium all the way up to the morning sessions in London two years ago, the Doha Stadium is crowded with emptiness. There are no spectators because athletics is almost unknown to people of Qatar.

The audience consists mainly of athlete team members, a few hundred tourists from Europe and workers from Doha.

The situation is embarrassing for Doha organizers and a disaster for the IAAF. Sebastian Coe hardly wants to show the world that Athletics World Championship Games don't interest anyone. At least not in Doha.

According to information from Doha, the IAAF's budget for next year is already 17 million deficits, and the image of World Championships does not improve the conditions of the federation's sponsorship market.

Illustrating the situation was when the world's fastest man, Christian Coleman, toured his lap of honor to the empty stadium. The "pocket rocket", Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the fastest woman in the world, did not even enter the honor round after seeing the empty stands. After the wins of Usain Bolt, the party continued for a full audience an hour after the race.

The IAAF can only blame themselves for the situation., Doha was awarded the host city, even though Qatar had no kind of culture of Track and Field.

The IAAF leadership  should act now that something is still to be rescued. The IAAF should quickly decide on a solidarity program that will allow all Doha school students to get free tickets to the Games with their parents, even for all days.

In Doha there are a huge number of Kenyan and Ethiopian workers, some of whom have already been seen at the stadium. For them IAAF can get tickets for free.

The lesson of the Doha Games is certainly that in the future, the IAAF must think carefully about where the World Championship Games will be awarded. After two years, we will compete in Eugene, USA, followed by Budapest, Hungary. The United States is the most challenging of these two in terms of the public, but a disaster like Doha is hardly experienced there.