This year, the world’s most prestigious athletics series celebrates its tenth anniversary, and the season opener in Doha is the first of 14 Diamond League meetings set to take place between May and September.
Since the inaugural IAAF Diamond League edition in 2010, Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar Sports Club has been the traditional venue for the season’s opening meeting, but this year the spotlight will be on Khalifa International Stadium, located inside Aspire Zone. The 48,000-capacity state-of-the-art stadium was fully renovated and reopened in 2017 to become the first completed 2022 FIFA World Cup venue.
But when it comes to Khalifa International Stadium, it is more than just football. The multi-purpose stadium has witnessed some iconic moments in the history of Qatari sports since its inauguration in 1976, including the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2006 Asian Games, and later this year it will make history again by hosting the Middle East’s first ever IAAF World Athletics Championships between 27 September and 6 October.
The 23rd Asian Athletics Championships will also take place this year at the same venue between 21-24 April, making Doha the ideal destination for athletics enthusiasts in 2019.
