Secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and deputy chief executive of the Doha 2015 Organising Committee and executive director of the Qatar Paralympic Committee, Ameer Al Mulla, were joined by head of IPC Athletics, Ryan Montgomery, at the unveiling of the logo in the host city.

"It is an honour to welcome the International Paralympic Committee to Qatar and we are very pleased to unveil our logo for the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in their presence," said Sheikh Saoud.

"This marks a significant milestone in our preparations for this landmark event and we are committed to partnering with the IPC to deliver an exceptional World Championships that will leave a strong legacy for Paralympic sport across the whole of our region.

"We hope that hosting this event in the Middle East for the first time in history will raise the profile of Paralympic sport and inspire a new generation of Paralympic heroes.

"It is our ambition to increase opportunities for people with a disability to participate in sport and to use the World Championships to showcase the incredible achievements of Paralympic athletes as they compete at the height of international sporting competition."

An IPC delegation, led by Montgomery, has been in Doha to learn more about the preparations and to visit the Championships' key competition and training venues. 

In addition, the delegation participated in Qatar's National Sport Day celebrations and were able to witness Qatar's star Paralympic athletes demonstrate their skills to the public and give masterclasses to budding young athletes.

Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Ameer Al Mulla and Ryan Montgomery attended the unveiling of the logo, along with Qatari athletes ©QOC



Qatar's National Sport Day Paralympic activities aimed to raise the profile of Paralympic sport and enable the public to join in and learn more about the activities available in Qatar for people with a disability.

With a purpose-built athletics track in the QOC's Sport Village, the public were able to try out Paralympic sport for the first time ever in many cases.

"We are delighted that Doha is going to host the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships and we have seen first-hand during our visit the excellent facilities that will be utilised," said Montgomery.

"We are 100 per cent confident that Qatar will set an extremely high standard for the staging of the World Championships, which will be very hard to beat in the future.

"It has also been a wonderful experience to be in Qatar during National Sport Day and to see the full scale of Qatar's commitment to sport and society.

"It is clear that hosting the World Championships in Qatar will provide an opportunity to inspire future Paralympic athletes and further the development of the Paralympic Movement."

Qatar's wheelchair racer Mohammed al-Khubazi was in attendance at the unveiling of the logo ©QOC



Abdulrahman Abdulkader, winner of gold and bronze medals in the shot put and javelin respectively at the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon, was on hand to share his experiences and give tips to the public, as well as participating in the unveiling of the World Championships logo.

"I cannot wait to compete in the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha in October and I am so proud to have helped unveil the logo today," he said.

"Winning two medals for Qatar at the 2014 Asian Para Games was an amazing experience but competing in one of the biggest Para-sports events in the world in front of a home crowd will be a dream-come-true.

"The World Championships will be a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness about Para-athletics and disability sport in Qatar and across the whole of our region.

"I really hope that I will help others to realise that sports can be practiced by all.

"It is the perfect way to raise self-esteem, increase confidence, learn new skills and stay fit and active."

Doha is due to host the Championships in the 12,000 capacity Qatar Sports Club's Suhaim Bin Hamam Stadium from October 22 to 31.

The competition will feature around 1,300 athletes from 90 countries and will be one of the last major competitions before the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Qatar aims to use its hosting of the event to increase opportunities for people with a disability to participate in sport, to raise the profile of disability sport and to spread awareness across Qatar and the whole of the Middle East, they claim.

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