'It's shocking': Outrage over athletics world champs 'embarrassment'

Spectators and former athletes have taken aim at officials over a “shocking” decision to stage the World Athletics Championships in Doha that’s been labelled an “embarrassment” for the sport.

The meet has already been reeling from a marathon "catastrophe" that forced more than a quarter of the runners in the women's event to withdraw due to the oppressive heat and humidity in Qatar’s capital city.

To make matters worse, crowds has simply failed to turn up for the competition, where the 40,000-seater Khalifa International Stadium has remained less than half-full over much of the three days of athletics action.

Air-cooling technology has made the brutal conditions easier to deal with for athletes and fans inside the stadium, but the interest simply hasn't been there from locals.

Even the blue-riband event - the men's 100m final - played out to rows of empty seats in Qatar.

It's in stark contrast to the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, which drew bumper crowds.

British former heptathlon gold medallist Denise Lewis described the lack of atmosphere as "shocking" and insists the athletes themselves have been badly let down.

“I walked into the stadium tonight and looked around and said: ‘Is this the World Championships?’ Lewis said.

“We’ve waited until October to have stands like this – empty. It’s shocking.

“I don’t think it’s right. Our governing body has let our athletes down, massively.

“I didn’t expect it to be this bad. We want to see people. The athletes deserve people, an energy and an atmosphere to thrive on.”

Many other fans shared Lewis' disappointment at the woeful representation in the stands.

The lack of fans pales in comparison to the greater issue of staging the event in Doha in the first place, where searing temperatures have seen organisers accused of putting athletes "in jeopardy."

Athletes suffer amid brutal conditions

Decathlon star Kevin Mayer - Olympic silver medalist in 2016 - said staging the championships in the heat and humidity was a "catastrophe".

"We can all see it's a disaster, there is no-one in the stands, and the heat has not been adapted at all," he said.

"There have already been nearly 30 withdrawals in the women's marathon. It's sad.

"We have to leave reason aside and more concentrate on the passion, because if not I would have boycotted these championships.

"We haven't really prioritised athletes when organising the championships here. It makes it difficult."

Mayer was speaking after 28 of the 68 runners in the women's marathon failed to finish after wilting in weather conditions of 32 degrees Celsius and humidity of over 70%.

His stinging comments follow those of 50 kilometres walk defending champion Yohann Diniz, who accused the IAAF of treating athletes as 'idiots' for making them compete in such conditions.

Diniz added the walkers were being used as "guinea pigs".

"Clearly by organising the championship here, they didn't put the athletes first, they've mostly put them in jeopardy," said Mayer at a press conference.

"Now, it's up to us to not act like princesses and to get on with it anyway but for sure, we're not at all in the right conditions to perform."

With agencies