Organizers of Doha 2019 athletics worlds bid: Hosting in October will alleviate heat problems

Organizers of Doha's bid for the 2019 athletics world championships say hosting the event in October will alleviate problems of desert heat.

Doha is competing against Eugene, Oregon, and Barcelona, Spain, in Tuesday's IAAF vote in Monaco.

Bid leader Dahlan al Hamad says morning temperatures in October will be 34 to 35 degrees Celsius (93 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and evenings will be 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) — thus cooler than during Doha's Diamond League meet in May.

The athletics worlds are usually held in August.

Asked about a possible Olympic bid, Al Hamad says "a bid for the 2024 Olympics is something that everybody is keen about but our concentration is mainly to work with the IAAF and set up the world championship."