Doha’s Worlds bid in focus at FINA Gala
A DELEGATION headed by Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) PresidentKhalil Al Jabir will attend the Second World Aquatics Gala and Award dinner in Budapest, Hungary, on January 31, and put up a comprehensive presentation on Doha’s bid to host either 2021 or ’23 FINA Long Course World Championships.
FINA is expected to announce the names of host cities at the gala.
Eight cities had expressed their interests in hosting the ’21 and ’23 events, but the list dwindled to just three — Doha, Nanjing (China) and Fukuoka (Japan).
Doha has hosted several top events, including last year’s World Short Course Championships.
The Qatari capital also organised Third FINA World Aquatics Convention, FINA Extraordinary Congress and Second FINA Gold Swimming Coaches Clinic, among others.
Doha has also been a consistent stop within the FINA World Cup series, with the ASPIRE Academy serving as the competition venue.
Meanwhile, Al Jabir expressed confidence in Qatar’s Greek coach Christos Paparrodopoulos.
“He’s an experienced coach and we’re confident of achieving good results at the ’20 Tokyo Olympics. It’s still more than four years away, but we believe in him,” said the QSA chief.
