DOHA, Qatar — There are at least 30 million reasons to explain how Qatar persuaded global track and field’s governing body to hand over its most prized event, the biennial world championships, to a tiny Persian Gulf state with the world’s largest natural gas reserves.

In 2014, Qatar defeated bids from the United States and Spain thanks in part to millions of dollars in sponsorships from companies controlled by the Qatari royal family. After its triumph, the victorious bidding committee promised a memorable event.

On that count they have delivered. The sight of female marathon runners being led away on stretchers and wheelchairs after collapsing because of Doha’s extreme heat resembled a battle scene, not the opening day of a major sporting championship.

Things didn’t get much better from there. Night after night, world class athletics played out in front of banks of largely empty seats. The situation improved slightly with the arrival of busloads of migrant workers, brought in to reduce the embarrassment for organizers.