Qatar faces rocky road to 2022 World Cup after athletics test

Despite triumphs on the track, Qatar has come under fire for its hosting of the World Athletics Championships with questions raised over Doha's ability to deliver the football World Cup successfully in three years' time.

Perhaps the most stinging off-track criticism of the 10-day event which concludes Sunday was sparked by the spectacle of a near-empty stadium during the opening days, raising fears for attendances in 2022.

"It's a classic mega-event failing, believing that 'if you build it, fans will come'," said Simon Chadwick, professor of sports enterprise at Britain's Salford University.

Crowds at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 2004 Games in Athens also failed to meet organisers' expectations despite ambitious stadium construction, he noted.

International Association of Athletics Federations chief Sebastian Coe has come under fire for the dismal crowds that turned out in Doha to watch blue-riband events including the men's and women's 100 metres.

"The crowd is an easier subject to talk about rather than some of the more insightful stuff around the events," said Coe, who attacked what he viewed as negative media coverage.

Spectator numbers improved as the week wore on after at least one large state-funded organisation offered staff free tickets for the Khalifa International Stadium.

"It totally felt different, there was a lot of energy," said former 1,500m world champion Jenny Simpson on Thursday after the American won her heat.

- 'Reasons to be there' -
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"What kind of event ecosystem are they constructing around that ticketing strategy? You've got to give people reasons to be there."
- 'Qatar no more'? - ====================