Doha (AFP)

Warmth, lack of spectators: as expected, controversy did not fail during the World Athletics Championships in Doha, sometimes reflecting a disastrous image of the first Olympic sport and highlighting the limits of the organization of such an event in Qatar to three years of the World Cup football.

. Hot shot

The extreme temperatures recorded in the emirate (more than 40 degrees during the day, more than 30 in the evening, 75% humidity) prompted immediately the worst worries, fueled by spectacular failures during the ladies' marathon in the first evening. . If everything had been planned at the Khalifa Stadium with an air conditioning system that made the conditions perfectly bearable for the athletes, most of the road races (marathon, walk) took place in a real furnace.

Records of abandonment were thus beaten on certain races (28 retirements out of 68 women marathon runners, 14 out of 46 on the 50 km men's march) despite night programming and the multiplication of water points.

In the face of criticism, the President of the International Federation defended himself by referring to "medical facilities never before seen in any World Championship or Olympic Games." "I would be surprised if we had the same in Tokyo (for the Olympics 2020, ed)," added the former double Olympic champion in the 1500 m.

On the other hand, the weather became milder at the end of the competition, like the marathon on Saturday, running under 31 degrees and 45% humidity.

For the World Cup, the problem of heat should be less since the dates have been shifted from November 21 to December 18, 2022 to avoid the heat wave.

. Where are the fans ?

Highlights of these Worlds: the men's and women's 100m races competed in front of empty seats. Subject of all fears before the start of the competition, the affluence was far from being in Qatar and the Khalifa stadium, with a capacity of 46,000 seats, has often sounded hollow.

To reduce the impression of emptiness, especially for television broadcasting, huge tarpaulins have even been installed on the upper part of the stadium.

The organizing committee was justified in explaining the lack of public by the "programming of the finals in the late evening for television imperatives", also insisting on the impact of the diplomatic and economic blockade suffered by Qatar on the part Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt for ties to Iran, the rival regional power of the Saudis, and support for radical Islamist groups. What Doha denies fiercely.

The last three days, however, have seen a marked improvement, including Friday, October 4, a weekly holiday in Qatar, with head star Mutaz Essa Barshim as headliner. The organizers also had the good idea to distribute free tickets to fill the stands.

But according to Simon Chadwick, professor at the University of Salford (Great Britain) and Qatar specialist, the essential is elsewhere for the small emirate gas, which has managed to demonstrate its ability to "make visible and important", despite tensions with his neighbors.

By organizing such events, Qatar offers "a kind of protection against certain threats," says the researcher.

. The 2022 test

After this miniature rehearsal of the football World Cup with more than mixed results, Qatar is now doomed to succeed in its real challenge to finally loosen the grip around him.

"Qatar is walking on eggs, it has to organize the World Cup properly, otherwise the sporting authorities could say: + Qatar, never again, which would make it geopolitically vulnerable again," says Simon. Chadwick.

If the temperatures will be milder and the stadiums necessarily much more garnished at the World Cup, the transport issue will be crucial in this small state with an area of ​​11,586 km2 where traffic can quickly become infernal. Pressure is mounting on the authorities to open the 37 subway stations planned, while only 13 are currently operational.

It also remains to be seen the impact of judicial investigations launched in France on the conditions for the awarding of the World Athletics Championships and the Football World Cup on which there are strong suspicions of corruption.

© 2019 AFP