Dubai: Ahmad Al Kamali, the President of the UAE Athletics Federation (UAEAF) became the first Emirati to be elected to the elite International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) Council at the end of the 48th session of the IAAF Congress that concluded in the Congress Hall at the Exco Convention Centre in Daegu, South Korea, on Thursday.
Al Kamali polled a record 137 votes of the total 198 to become the first-ever UAE national to hold such a prestigious post in the IAAF for the next four years.
Senegal's Lamine Diack got re-elected as IAAF President for another four-year term, while American Robert Hersh, Qatar's Jumaan Dahlan Al Hamad, Great Britain's Sebastian Coe and Ukraine's Sergey Bubka got the nod to be the four vice-presidents.
"I am proud of what I have achieved for my country. We have all worked hard to achieve this result and now that this has happened I can assure you that track and field will witness some huge changes in the UAE," Al Kamali told Gulf News before boarding his flight to return home from Daegu last night.
Al Kamali's tally of 137 votes was better than former Namibian star athlete Frank Fredericks (122), Germany's Helmut Digel (121), Cuba's Alberto Danger Juantorena (119) and South Korea's Ki Jung-park (116).
"During the past one and a half year we have all worked hard to project a true image of what we are capable of. We have visited at least 40 countries worldwide and projected to the various associations what we are capable of doing by being in the IAAF Council. And the people in turn have shown their belief in us," Al Kamali said.
Consensus
Besides the 21 Arab nations voting in his favour Al Kamali said there was a consensus among other Asian and African countries in suppporting his candidature. "And I have some strong friends in Europe who have always backed all intiatives coming from the UAE," Al Kamali said.
