At the 2005 West Asian Games

2005 West Asian Games

The 3rd West Asian Games were to be held from 7 to 17 April 2003 in Damascus, Syria; however they were postponed and then cancelled. On 4 April 2002 the West Asian Games Federation decided that the Games would be held every four years, instead of two, namely one year before the Asian Games.The...

, the athletics events were held at the Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium

Khalifa International Stadium or also known as National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar as part of the Doha Sports City complex, which also includes Aspire Academy, Hamad Aquatic Centre, and the Aspire Tower. It is named after Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's former Emir...

 in Doha

Doha

Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...

, Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

. Contested over three days, from 7 to 9 December, it was the first time that women were allowed to compete in athletics events at the Games. A total of 28 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 5 by female athletes. The event was seen as a test event for the Athletics at the 2006 Asian Games

Athletics at the 2006 Asian Games

An Athletics competition was contested at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar from December 7 to December 12. Twenty-three events were contested for the men while 22 were on the slate for the women. Only the 3000 Meter Steeplechase was not contested for by the women...

, which Doha hosted the following year.

The competition featured some high level performances by a handful of elite athletes: former World Youth champions Belal Mansoor Ali

Belal Mansoor Ali

Belal Mansoor Ali is a middle distance runner now representing Bahrain after changing nationality from Kenya.He was born John Yego on October 17, 1988 in Kenya. A lot of controversy has surrounded his age, starting when he won the 1500 metres race at the 2005 IAAF World Youth Championships in...

 and Yahya Al-Gahes

Yahya Al-Gahes

Yahya Al-Gahes is a Saudi Arabian sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.He won the 2003 World Youth Championships, finished fifth at the 2004 World Junior Championships and won the 2005 Asian Championships....

 won the 1500 metres

1500 metres

The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

 and 100 metres

100 metres

The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...

, respectively, while world silver medallist Mubarak Hassan Shami

Mubarak Hassan Shami

Mubarak Hassan Shami is a Kenyan-born Qatari long-distance runner. He specializes in half marathon and marathon races.He won the Baringo Half Marathon, a race inaugurated by Paul Tergat, in 2005 and 2006, becoming the first runner to defend the title....

 claimed the half marathon

Half marathon

A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

 title. On the women's side, 2004 Olympian Rakia Al-Gassra won the women's 100 m. In spite of this, many events featured only a small number of athletes and the overall standard of competition was relatively low.

Host nation Qatar topped the medal table with eleven gold medal

Gold medal

A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

s, ten silver medal

Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

s and six bronze medal

Bronze medal

A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...

. Their tally was greatly buoyed by the performances of former Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

 distance runners, including event winners Gamal Belal Salem

Gamal Belal Salem

Gamal Belal Salem is a Qatari runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase, training with the world record holder Saaeed Shaheen under the Italian coach Renato Canova....

, Majed Saeed Sultan

Majed Saeed Sultan

Majed Saeed Sultan is a middle distance runner now representing Qatar after switching from Kenya. He specializes at the 800 metres, a distance where he became 2004 junior world champion and competed in the Olympic Games in Athens.In September 2005 he became Asian champion.-External links:...

 and Musa Amer Obaid

Musa Amer Obaid

Musa Amer Obaid is a middle distance runner mainly competing in steeplechase. He was born Moses Kipkirui, but represents Qatar after changing nationality from his birth country Kenya...

. Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

 had the second highest number of golds with five, while Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 had the second greatest overall haul (13 medals; four golds). Of the nations competing at the games, only Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 and Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

did not win medals in the athletics.

Men

100 metres		10.39		10.53		10.53
200 metres		21.31		21.39		21.51
400 metres		47.58		48.32		49.14
800 metres		1:46.86 GR		1:47.07		1:48.22
1500 metres		3:40.84 GR		3:41.45		3:43.08
5000 metres		13:33.07 GR		13:35.12		14:39.17
10,000 metres		28:40.99 GR		28:44.57		31:34.57
110 metres hurdles		14.14		14.42	Only two competitors
400 metres hurdles		50.37		51.96		52.11
3000 metres steeplechase		8:19.46 GR		8:33.03		8:41.96
4×100 metres relay	Kuwait	40.48	Oman	40.73	Qatar	40.85
4×400 metres relay	Qatar	3:09.81	Saudi Arabia	3:14.36	United Arab Emirates	3:18.81
Half marathon		1:02:21		1:03:00		1:12:06
20 km walk		1:33:04		1:34:15		1:35:11
High jump		2.16 m GR		2.16 m		2.13 m
Pole vault		5.00 m GR		5.00 m		4.80 m
Long jump		7.50 m		7.48 m		7.37 m
Triple jump		16.48 m GR		16.30 m		15.90 m
Shot put		17.54 m		17.25 m		16.58 m
Discus throw		63.63 m GR		60.11 m		57.93 m
Hammer throw		76.25 m GR		65.07 m		63.27 m
Javelin throw		71.73 m GR		70.29 m		69.59 m
Decathlon		6445 pts		5660 pts		4468 pts

Women

100 metres		12.28		12.33		12.34
200 metres		24.66		25.25		25.26
4×100 metres relay	Iran	50.97	Oman	52.76	Only two finishing teams
High jump		1.70 m		1.35 m		1.30 m
Long jump		5.82 m		5.76 m		5.70 m

Medal table

Key:

1	Qatar	11	10	6	27
2	Kuwait	5	2	0	7
3	Iran	4	4	5	13
4	Saudi Arabia	2	3	5	10
5	Syria	2	2	2	6
6	Bahrain	2	1	0	3
7	Jordan	1	3	2	6
8	United Arab Emirates	1	0	2	3
9	Oman	0	3	0	3
10	Iraq	0	0	4	4
Total		28	28	26	82

External links

• Official website (archived)