Doha has been awarded the right to host the 2019 World Championships after beating off competition from Eugene and Barcelona.
The IAAF council voted in favour of Doha following final presentations from all three cities at the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco. It is a case of second time lucky for the capital city of Qatar after it was edged out by London to host the 2017 event.
Doha will now stage the World Championships three years before the country is set to host the football World Cup in 2022.
FIFA's decision to stage the World Cup in Qatar has drawn considerable controversy, with a recent report clearing both the Arab country's bid for 2022 and Russia's plans for 2018 being questioned by chief ethics investigator Michael Garcia, who announced he would appeal against the ruling last week.
One of the major sticking points over Qatar staging football's biggest showpiece have been the high temperatures in the region, but the Qatar Olympic Committee's senior advisor Aphrodite Moschoudi reassured the council during Doha's presentation that this will not be a problem for the World Championships.
Moschoudi, who explained the championships would be staged from September 28 to October 6 in 2019, said: "There are two great things about these dates. First the temperature in Doha at this time of year is no different to several recent World Championships.
"Average temperature at that time of the year is even lower than temperatures we have at our Diamond League meeting every May.
"Second, it would allow us to introduce the innovation of staging the championships as a fantastic grand finale to the season, which we know is something you often discuss."
Moschoudi also highlighted that the refurbished Khalifa International Stadium, which is central to both the plans for 2019 and the 2022 World Cup, will give organisers the opportunity to use cooling technology if necessary, adding: "But we don't think you will need it."
Doha bid leader Dahlan Al-Hamad described the decision as a "dream" and pledged to put on a unique showcase that will increase the popularity of athletics in the region.
"It is a great moment for me as president of Qatar Athletics Federation and also as a Qatari," he said.
"We have had a dream about organising such events for a long time and on behalf of the Qatari athletic family we would like to thank the council of the IAAF and the family of the IAAF for giving Qatar the chance to organise one of the most prestigious championships."
IAAF president Lamine Diack praised all three bidding cities and explained he felt confident any one of them could have delivered a memorable event.
"I think I was, during this week, the only one to relax because of the bids," he joked.
Diack revealed that Barcelona, which has obvious pedigree having previously hosted the 2012 World Junior Outdoor Championships and the 1992 Olympics, was eliminated in the first round with six votes.
There had been suggestions that the Spanish city might lose out due to a perceived desire to move outside of Europe given London is the host city in 2017.
Those predictions may not have been too far of the mark as Doha picked up 12 votes, while United States city Eugene had nine as both progressed to a second round.
If Eugene, which is in Oregon, had won it would have been the first world championships to be staged in the USA and that must have been a temptation in a close final vote, but Doha eventually won out 15 votes to 12.
Diack added: "I'm sure that we will have, in Doha, a wonderful edition of the World Championships.
"I am convinced they are committed through sport to developing their country and their community. And they are doing the right things."
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