One thing "seemed to be missing" during the World Gymnastics Championships "first visit to the Middle East: people," according to Will Graves of the AP. The "majority of the sessions" during the 10-day meet in Doha, Qatar, were held in front of "significant swaths" of empty seats at the Aspire Dome. Most of the audience "wore pink lanyards with laminated ID cards attached, a clear giveaway that they weren't paying customers." Gold Medal-winning U.S. gymnast Simone Biles said of the attendance, "It almost felt like it wasn't world championships out there because there's not a lot of people in the crowd and most of the crowd was made up of delegations." Graves noted there were few logistic hiccups, a "small positive step for a country preparing to host the world track and field championships" in '19 and the '22 FIFA World Cup. Buses "ran on time," and getting around generally "wasn't a problem." Organizers "did what they could to engage younger Qataris, holding demonstrations in the run-up to the meet and using multiple social media platforms to provide a close look at the athletes." The world championships will be held in Stuttgart, Germany next October, and "ticket sales are brisk" ( AP, 11/3 )
MORE MEDALS : USA TODAY's Nancy Armour noted Biles became the "first woman in 30 years to win a medal on all six events" at the world championships or Olympics. Biles "already holds the record for most career world titles by a gymnast, male or female," with 14. Biles also tied former Russian gymnast Svetlana Khorkina's "record of 20 career medals" ( USA TODAY, 11/4 ).
