Al-Hamad to focus on strategic planning, marketing

Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad, the newly-elected President of the Asian Athletics Association, today emphasised that the competition and development programs of the federation need to be reviewed and strategic marketing was required to attract corporate sponsors.
Al-Hamad ousted India's scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi in today's vote with a 20-18 verdict and said he will carry forward the work done by the Indian administrator.
"We have to take the flag from him (Kalmadi) and continue our movement. We cannot say he didn't do anything for the federation, he did for the federation. I think our objective is to continue and promote the sports," Al-Hamad told reporters after the second and last day of the continental body's two-day Congress here.

"We believe in sports and sports is a vehicle for our new generation. We have to raise the sports up so that we can put our children in the right way," he said.
Asked about a roadmap, Al-Hamad said, "There should be a roadmap, not just for me but we have to focus on a long term strategic plan, irrespective of whether I am there in the council or not, the plan has to go on for the development of the federation.