DOHA • Qatar confidently vowed there would be "no empty seats" when it first bid for the World Athletics Championships in 2011 but, halfway through the 10-day event, that promise rings as hollow as Khalifa International Stadium.

Confronted with growing outrage over the poor turnout, the organisers on Monday night pinned the blame for the vast swathes of empty seats on many finals being held in the late hours to suit a worldwide audience, and the ongoing Gulf blockade of the country.

According to the official figures, over 11,000 spectators filed into the stadium for last Friday's opener and the marquee men's 100m final on Saturday night.

However, the 48,000-capacity venue had already reduced its seating to around 20,000 after blocking out an upper tier, and on Sunday night, it morphed into a public relations disaster for the track and field governing body, the IAAF, and its president Sebastian Coe.

At a stretch, there were only 1,000 people watching the 100m women's final, and most of them were either reporters, officials or friends and family members.

The absence of cheering fans also meant the United States team, who won the inaugural 4x400m mixed relay title, opted not to run a lap of honour, disappearing straight down the exit tunnel.

Coe had hoped last week the event would be "spectacular", but instead, the low numbers have killed the momentum for athletics that was built at the London 2017 edition which was watched by a total of 750,000 in the flesh and millions on TV.

The lack of atmosphere in Doha has left those participating cold, with Canadian sprinter Andre de Grasse saying the venue was far from ideal and has "got to be closer to where everyone's fan bases are".

Britain's 2000 Sydney Games heptathlon champion Denise Lewis was far more critical, labelling it as "not right", while 2016 Rio Games decathlon silver medallist Kevin Mayer of France called the staging "a disaster".

The organisers have, however, insisted that the attendance on the first two days was "solid", although they conceded that it was "down on our expectations" on Sunday as it "coincided with the start of the working week in Qatar".

"The challenge we face with a competition schedule that is geared to support global TV viewership is that some finals are not starting until the late evening," they said. "This impacts on the number of spectators remaining until the end of the session."

Suggesting that local audiences were more interested in middle-distance races than sprints, organisers also claimed they were "confident with our additional communications (that) we will see more attendees for longer periods", before referencing the boycott imposed on Qatar since June 2017.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have accused its Gulf neighbour of supporting terrorism, which Qatar denies.

They added: "Our vision was for a first world championships in the Middle East... that would welcome the world and connect to new fans.

"Despite facing unique challenges as hosts, in terms of the political (situation), that ambition remains."

IAAF chief executive Jon Ridgeon has since told the BBC that they are "disappointed" by the lack of spectators even though the participating athletes are still enjoying a "positive experience".

He said: "But you have to accept this is a small country... There would be an awful lot more people here if the blockade was not in place."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, THE GUARDIAN