Baku Games logo. Right: Mohammed Saeed Al Misnad, the Chef de Mission of Qatar delegation.
Qatar, with a big delegation of 75 athletes, will be aiming for a rich haul of medals at this month's Islamic Solidarity Games, a top Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) official said.
Mohammed Saeed Al Misnad (pictured), the Chef de Mission, said the Qatari athletes have been in preparation mode for the last few months for the Games to be held in Azerbaijani capital Baku.
The 3rd Islamic Solidarity Games will be held from May 12 to 22 with athletes from 57 countries taking part in the multi-discipline sports gathering.
The first event was held in 2005 in Saudi Arabia while the second edition was staged by Indonesia in 2013.
"Our athletes have prepared well over the last few months. We are going there with aims of winning medals or being in the finals. God Willing, it will be a good run for our athletes," Al Misnad told The Peninsula in an interview.
"The athletes have spent a busy time in training camps. Some of the federations have run their own camps in Qatar," Al Misnad added.
Excerpts from a Q&A session with the Qatar Chef de Mission:
Q:How many Qatari athletes are going to Baku?
A: We have a big delegation going to Baku for the Games. We have a total of 75 athletes heading to Azerbaijan. We also have 50 officials part of the delegation.
Q: What are the participating disciplines for the Qatari athletes?
A: We have 13 federations but we are competing in 15 sports. However, one of our weightlifters got injured yesterday during training.
So we are told that he won't be able to compete. So it is going to be a total of 15 disciplines for our athletes. Injuries happen and it is part of an athlete's life.
Q: Overall how's the mood in your camp?
A: The mood is very good. Our prognosis for the Games is higher than usual. The athletes have prepared well over the last few months. We are going there with aims of winning medals or being in the finals.
God Willing, it will be a good run for our athletes.
Some of the federations have been preparing for three or four months.
Some federations have been preparing for even longer period. The athletes have spent a busy time in training camps. Some of the federations have run their own camps in Qatar. Many of the athletes have featured in different events.
Q: How important are these Games for Qatar and the athletes?
A: These Games are very important for us because we are looking at the future.
The athletes who will feature at the Games in Baku will get international exposure and that's good for them.
For the Qatar Olympic Committee, we get to see which of the athletes are good for us. We get to see their technical development when they compete in events, home or away. Their talent comes to the fore at these types of the Games.
Q: The athletes with medal potential, is this a launching pad for them at the Games for bigger things in the future?
A: Oh yes, absolutely. Many of the athletes going to Baku were at the Rio Olympic Games last year.
This will be a continuation process in developing our athletes by helping them qualify for bigger sports events.
Hopefully some of these athletes - after step-by-step progression - will qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games. These Games are very important.
