Technology in athletics (© IAAF)
Over the first nine days of 2019, we will be taking a look at nine things we’re really looking forward to as we enter another IAAF World Athletics Championships year.
We started with a look at established stars who will be returning from injury, then the No.2 item was a summary of some of the rising stars primed to make an impact this year. The series continued by examining some of the world records which may finally fall in 2019 and then moved on to key head-to-heads expected to highlight the year ahead.
Today, we look at...
Technology advances
Cool stadium
The Khalifa Stadium, venue for the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, is ground breaking. The revolutionary in-stadium air-conditioning technology can be set to cooler temperatures and will guarantee optimal conditions for athletes and fans alike while also being sustainable.
The Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) certified stadium will play host to the Asian Championships in April, which will double as the official test event for the World Athletics Championships.
Midnight marathon
One of the other ways in which the local organising committee is planning on combatting the heat is to hold the endurance road events late at night.
The marathons, for example, will take place at midnight along Doha’s iconic Corniche with the city’s iconic night skyline as a beautiful backdrop, providing stunning imagery for TV’s global audience. Lights along the entire route will bring the full marathon to life with spectators enjoying family-friendly activations to give the event a festival atmosphere for athletes and fans alike.
Organisers will apply experience gained in hosting the world’s first night-time MotoGP race at Lusail International Circuit to ensure a highly successful event that leaves a future legacy for further night road racing and other events around the world.
“Qatar is a young and ambitious nation,” said Vice Chairman and Director General of the Local Organising Committee and IAAF Vice President Dahlan Al Hamad. “To have such an ambition requires innovative, creative and bold thinking. That’s why this stadium has cooling technology. That’s why we will introduce a midnight marathon. All these developments take imagination but stem from a single goal of enhancing athletics worldwide.”
Fast track
When the world’s best athletes take the global stage at the World Athletics Championships, it will be on a Mondotrack WS surface, which has Greenguard Gold certification for its low VOC emissions.
For the first time ever, the colour chosen for the track will be pink to match the look and feel of the event, while assuring its traditional uniform biomechanical response all over the track surface.
Virtual reality
While the World Athletics Championships won’t start until September, guests at the recent IAAF Athletics Awards 2018 had the opportunity to experience a virtual reality version of the Khalifa Stadium in Monaco last month.
Ahead of the #AthleticsAwards in Monaco, @Diamond_League 400m champion @fkerley99 takes a virtual tour of the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, less than one year out from the @IAAFWorldChamps. "The top step of the podium," he said. "That's where I'll be." pic.twitter.com/EaJNUCoBA5
— IAAF (@iaaforg) December 2, 2018
Innovations will continue at all World Athletics Series events this year with the use of drone cameras, enhanced event presentation and increased fan interaction on social media.
