IT IS ALMOST six years to the day since London won the right to stage the IAAF World Championships in 2017. Back then, on November 11, 2011, a British bid team led by Sebastian Coe defeated Doha during a vote in Monaco. At the time, the London Olympics and Paralympics were imminent, but the nation also captured the honour of hosting the sport’s global track and field championships in the summer of 2017.
Doha was the strong favourite, but the Qatari capital was let down by its infamously scorching temperatures, while the Middle East country’s petro-dollars were no match for British athletics’ tried-and-trusted organisational abilities and its promise of passionate, knowledgeable fans.