The ceremony commenced with an extended musical welcome, featuring traditional middle eastern instruments and singing. This was followed by the introduction of Mr Khalid bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, President of the Judo Federation and Local Organising Committee’s Vice President and the Director General of the World Championships – Doha 2023, and Mr Marius Vizer, President of the International Judo Federation.
Mr Al-Attiyah addressed the audience first, “It gives me great pleasure to formally welcome you all to the World Judo Championships – Doha 2023 opening ceremony. We are honoured to be the host of the first World Judo Championship in Doha, where we have accomplished a new milestone in consolidating Qatar’s standing as a successful host nation, drawing the biggest sporting events in the world. We would like to express our gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, for his visionary leadership and guidance which have resulted in unprecedented growth and development in shaping Qatar’s current sports scene and infrastructure, making it a hub for sports facilities.
“Finally, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this event possible. From the organisers to the volunteers, the sponsors to the audience, I wish all the participants the best of luck and hope everyone has a nice time at the World Judo Championships – Doha 2023.”
Mr Al-Attiyah then handed over to Mr Vizer, who said, “Your excellencies, Sheikh Joaan, Sheikh Saba, Prince Fahad, distinguished special guests, dear President of the national judo federation, the Olympic family of Qatar, international sporting family, international judo family, partners, media representatives and spectators. Welcome to the country of sport, the country of culture, new technology, innovation and modern society; the country which is the biggest organiser of sporting events in the world today.
“By investing in sport, you invest in a better future for the world, in education, unity, friendship and non-discrimination. I want to express our thanks to the government of Qatar for supporting so many international sporting events, for supporting our judo world championships and for judo promotion throughout the world. I wish for you to be the best organiser of the Olympic Games in the future; the Olympic Games have to come to Doha soon.
“Sport is the last and most important bridge for international society in crisis periods and difficult moments. Today, we are living in a difficult moment; a special confrontation which affects the whole world. We have to keep sport safe; sport is no place for war, politics or discrimination. We have to be united and modern for the next generation, inspiring the leaders of today on how to bring peace and how to bring stability back to the world.
“Thank you very much to all of you supporting this world championships. I wish peace and prosperity to you and to your families. Thank you very much.”
These welcome messages were followed by an immersive set of performances exploring the link between Qatar’s past, present and future. The performances centred around a father and son discussing life in Qatar many years ago, with the son surprising the father by helping him visit the past through a virtual reality headset, highlighting the technological advancement of the country in such a short time.
The dance performances depicted the harmony of the wildlife, the importance of marine life to the Qatari people and Qatari children playing in a time before technology. This was followed by a judo demonstration conducted by a group of young Qatari judoka, illustrating the many new pursuits, cultural and sporting, that are now a large part of Qatar’s culture.
The flags of all the participating countries at this world championships were then displayed on the big screens, to represent the unity that the sport of judo fosters globally. The Qatari and IJF anthems were played. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the President of the Local Organising Committee for the World Judo Championships – Doha 2023, briefly took the floor and this concluded the opening ceremony.