Asian Athletics Association President: Asia poised for a new era of success

President of the Asian Athletics Association, Dahlan Jumaan al-Hamad, has said Asia is entering a promising new phase in the development of athletics, supported by the association’s strategy of dividing the continent into five regions – East Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, South Asia, and Central Asia – to ensure the effective implementation of development standards.In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), al-Hamad highlighted studies presented to the World Athletics, which point to Asia’s bright future in athletics, thanks to its wealth of athletic talent and tailored development programmes for athletes and coaches. He expressed optimism that Asia would emerge as a leading continent in athletics across all levels.Al-Hamad pointed out the significant progress achieved through the association’s precise execution of its development plans. This includes the first phase’s success, which saw Asian athletes excelling in major events such as the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the World Junior Championships in Peru in September. He noted that Asia now rivals Europe in several field events, citing Olympic champions like Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and India’s Neeraj Chopra in javelin throw. He predicted more emerging champions in various field events in the near future.He pointed out that the success of an Asian athlete winning an Olympic gold medal in javelin a feat previously dominated by European athletes demonstrates Asia’s rich talent pool and its ability to capitalise on development programmes.Al-Hamad stated that the association’s plans for its 2027 cycle are designed to enhance the sport and advance athletes’ skills across different disciplines.He stressed the importance of focusing on younger age groups and identifying talent early, noting that champions can emerge from small villages or school programmes.Providing adequate support and care for these talents is crucial to their development and success on all levels. The Asian Athletics Association’s programmes aim to nurture talent across the continent and pave the way for global recognition.The association has established specific standards to elevate technical performance by enhancing coaching capabilities with modern training methods and improving athletes’ skills in track and field events. These standards will be applied uniformly across Asia’s five regions.Al-Hamad also highlighted the significance of the presence of President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, at the Asian Athletics Association meetings held in Doha.This underscores Asia’s prominent position on the global athletics map and reflects the association’s collaborative efforts with regional leaders and technical and administrative committees to advance the sport.He concluded by praising Qatar’s unwavering support for its nationals serving in international and continental sports organisations, adding that this commitment to promoting sports underscores Qatar’s leadership role and contributes to achievements on all levels.