Following the arrival of Al Thani, the Qatar national anthem was played, after which the athletes from the 74 countries represented at the Championships were paraded around the venue.

Thani Abdulrahman Al-Kuwari, secretary general of the QOC and President of the Local Organising Committee, then delivered a speech before a video message from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach was played.

"These World Championships are particularly important," said Bach.

"You will be doing your utmost to win the world title, but you will also do your utmost to obtain one of the 23 places for the dream event for any athlete, the Olympic Games; 2016, Rio de Janeiro.

"There is no doubt that we can count on the determination of all of you to give your best performance possible.

"The people here in Doha will be delighted, as well as everyone watching you around the world on TV.

"I encourage all of you to compete in the Olympic spirit; in the spirit of excellence, friendship and respect.

"To all of you athletes, organisers and fans, I wish you a great competition in Doha."

Bach also congratulated AIBA President C K Wu, an IOC Executive Board member, for his "great contribution to the development of boxing and the Olympic Movement". 

Wu also spoke himself, saying: "It brings me great pleasure to welcome you to Doha for the 2015 edition of the AIBA World Championships.

"Doha is truly a sporting city with an excellent record of hosting major events such as this World Championships.

"Doha clearly understands the importance of promoting sports as a tool to increase the visibility of the wonderful city and develop sport potential.

"Together, AIBA and Qatar welcomes 257 of the world’s finest boxer from 74 countries different countries displaying the universal appeal of our sport.

"I would like to congratulate the city on its beautiful venue as well as the level of the organisation around the event which has been first class.

"On behalf of the global boxing family, I congratulate his Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and Dr Thani Abdulrahman Al-Kuwari, the secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee.

"I also thank the President of the Qatar Boxing Federation, Yousuf Ali Al Kazim, and his whole team for organising this event on the highest level."

The Ceremony was rounded off with the boxers and judges' oaths, and following the official opening declaration, a spectacular montage of boxing was presented to the onlooking crowd.

Themed upon the sport’s journey from ancient times to modern day, the creative opening event brought to life boxing’s first origins with a stunning visual display of music, lights and athletic dancers, fused with cutting-edge 3D technology.

The action is set to begin tomorrow with the first of four days of preliminary round action.

Prior to the Opening Ceremony, the draw for the World Championships was made at the Ezdan Hotel in Qatar's capital.

The official draw sheets can be found by clicking here. 

insidethegames will be running a live blog on each day's action through to the finals on October 14 and 15.



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