The stadium, part of the Ali Ahli Sports Village in Doha, promises to offer the most advanced handball facilities ever, with the latest technologies and media facilities.

Due to be completed in 2012, the complex would be the home of the Opening Ceremonies - hosting all athletes for the first time - if Qatar's bid is chosen ahead of rivals France, Norway and Poland.

The 44,233 square metre Al Ahli Sports Village will also host matches every day throughout the competition, including the finals.

Qatar's bid to host the 2015 Championships have received the unconditional support of the country's Government, with sport playing an integral part of its long-term vision.

The President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), His Royal Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, recently confirmed his full support to International Handball Federation (IHF) President, Dr Hassan Mustafa.

In a letter, HRH Sheikh Tamim stated: "Qatar has focused much of its energy to develop the handball game, starting from the base and reaching high levels of professionalism.

"Our initiatives by supporting school sport have formed an amazing inspiration for a new generation of handball players."



Like many others within the QOC, Sheikh Tamim stressed how important this Championship is for the region.

Handball nations across the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa have united in full support of the Qatar 2015 bid.

It would be the first time the event had gone to the Middle East and would signal a new start for handball to grow in new and crucially important markets.

In a region with in excess of 450 million people, the World Championship in Qatar proposes programmes that will enable grassroots development of handball not only in this important region, but around the world.

Giving its support to the Qatar 2015 candidature, the Indian Handball Federation stated: "The Handball World Championship in Qatar would be a fantastic catalyst for development in this region.

"It is really a great honour for Asia's handball sport fertility - through this Championship handball will not only be popular in Qatar but in the whole region.

"By taking the jewel of the IHF crown to new markets in the Middle East, the IHF will continue to promote its universality to the world of handball.

"A World Championship in Qatar would be an important step forward for handball.

"We need to move to new parts of the world if we want to increase the popularity of our sport and we know that the 2015 Championship in Qatar would be just the event to promote handball in the region."

Handball federations from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, India, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen have also confirmed their full support for Qatar's bid.

The IHF is due to make a decision on the host country at a meeting on January 27.


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