Would Usain Bolt have been able to bring out the fans in Doha? Maybe, but that is only speculation, although the absence of the greatest sprinter of all time—and without question the most charismatic, popular and fan-friendly athlete ever—must have detracted from the appeal of the World Athletics Championships, especially to an audience which may not be all that enamoured of track and field competition anyway.

Qatar, the super-rich state which juts out from the Arabian Peninsula into the Persian Gulf, has hosted major athletics meets before, although those were just one-day affairs on the Diamond League circuit. Now, with the first three days of competition at the premier biennial event in athletics as notable for the vast swathes of empty seats as it has been for outstanding performances from some of the finest competitors in the world, prominent names in the sport are lamenting the absence of the sort of atmosphere befitting an event of this stature.