Qatar set to spoil the sports world…not a little

Qatar hopes to host the world’s most glamorous sporting event fromNov. 21 to Dec. 18, 2022.

Although Qatar is a small country, given its size; it has vast resources that are backed by high income from oil and gas. Indeed, Qatar has the world’s third-largest natural gas and oil reserves.

A naturally endowed country, Qatar has the highest per-capita income in the world. The UN has classified Qatar as a country with ‘very high human development and the most advanced Arab state for human development’.

Though small in size, Qatar is by all means the richest country in the world.

The country has a population of two million people, out of which the Qataris account for approximately 500,000, while the rest are made up by the migrant population, drawn mainly from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and expatriates from various parts of the world.

Mubarak Mohammed AlBoainin, a member of the Sports Press Committee for Qatar 2022 World Cup, said that the type of World Cup which Qatar is planning to host is one that would be hosted on behalf of the entire Middle East region, based on a concept made popular by South Africa at the 2010 World Cup.

“To the South Africans then, it was `an African World Cup’; making it more inclusive of all the African nations. The concept naturally compelled the rest of Africa to rally support toward South Africa’s staging of a successful World Cup.

“We studied that concept and we will try to play around that idea, especially among six-member GCC countries – Bahrain, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar,’’ he said.

Nonetheless, AlBoainin conveyed Qatar’s readiness to host the world’s greatest football teams in spite of the recent decline in oil revenues.

“The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), set up by Qatar to deliver facilities for the Mundial, has been working toward the provision of stadiums and other infrastructure to facilitate the achievement of a ‘compact hosting concept,’ AlBoainin said.

Under the concept, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and stakeholders will work toward ensuring that players are well-rested throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Meanwhile, the SC has given an assurance that players, journalists and fans alike would not have to travel long distances between cities for matches.

“This also means that during the preliminary rounds of the tournament, fans could have the opportunity of attending more than one match per day.

“This is because they will be taking advantage of brand-new metro and rail systems, currently under construction, to access cities and stadiums more quickly and easily.’’

The SC added: “When fans are not at matches because of such a `compact hosting concept’, the fans will have more time and opportunities to visit the various fan zones in order to fully savour the World Cup.”

According to the committee, such an atmosphere will promote a range of leisure activities that Qatar has to offer. “The entire country will become a celebration of football, with the people just minutes away from their residences and hotels alike.”

A Cameroonian journalist, Gustave Samnick, opined that Qatar 2022 World Cup would be a direct opposite of the 2014 World Cup, during which several journalists complained of too many travels that almost took the shine off the FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil.

Mohammed Qassim, the Bahraini journalist, who recently emerged as the President of the AIPS-Asia (International Sports Press Association-Asia), said in Manama shortly after his election, that the Qatar 2022 World Cup would be relatively cheaper, more economical and stress-free for journalists coming for its coverage.

For Mitchell Obi, the President of the AIPS-Africa, “it will be like a one-stop shop, as journalists could have the fun of their lives packed in one: A high IT-driven World Cup: need we ask for more?”

Undoubtedly, Qatar deserves to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as it has worked very hard to vindicate its selection for the tournament’s hosting, and an appreciable number of delegates, particularly those from Africa; attest to this.

A Ghanaian delegate, Kwabena Yeboah, after touring some of the facilities under construction, particularly the ‘Labour Village’, said that Qatar had done more than enough to justify the need to give her a free hand to prepare for the competition.

“They have provided some excellent pitches, very good hotels, wonderful reception parties, attractive Information Technology (IT) deployment that is affordable to earn the wide acclaim of many journalists who were in Doha, Qatar’s capital, for the 79th AIPS Congress,” Yeboah said.

Morad Moutaouakkil, a Moroccan journalist and current Vice-President, AIPS-Africa, also said, “It will be unfair to see the huge investments already made by Qatar and still go ahead to deny the country the opportunity of staging one of the world’s greatest showpieces – the
FIFA World Cup.’’

Coumba Ciambele, a Malian journalist in the same vein noted that the Qataris had taken time to address the concerns of workers handling the various projects for the sports infrastructure by improving their welfare, even beyond the expectations of all.

Global attention was once drawn to the poor living conditions of the construction workers erecting a stadium, but Qatari authorities took time to redress the situation.

The authorities have since provided a ‘Workers Village’ – a unique arrangement that is unparalleled anywhere in the world – and in doing so, they took cognisance of the cultural and religious nuances of the migrant workers.

The Qatari authorities organised a tour which enabled sports journalists to have first-hand knowledge of the infrastructure and the ancillary services made available in the `Workers Village’ – water, electricity as well as dining and recreational centres.

After a visit to the events’ sites of 2022 World Cup, such as stadiums and the railway project sites, the visiting journalists unanimously agreed that Qatar would, indeed, host a `compact World Cup’, with most of the facilities within easy reach of journalists.

Juxtaposing the preparations with similar preparations for sporting events elsewhere, the visiting journalists were quick to conclude that the Qatar arrangements were aimed at facilitating the work of journalists, citing the provision of free internet facilities as an instance.

This is cheery news, as AIPS President Gianni Merlo has often grumbled that such issues are some of the work-related problems facing journalists covering sporting events.

Beyond that, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has given an assurance that “Qatar will host a carbon-neutral World Cup, inclusive of all air travels to and from Qatar during the tournament.

“All stadiums proposed for use during the tournament aim to receive both LEED Gold and GSAS 4-Star certifications during the construction and operational phases.

“Solar collectors are being integrated into stadiums and precinct designs, and they will be used to power the cooling technologies being developed to keep the stadiums at an optimal temperature for people playing or watching football.

“Qatar’s small size and the easy availability of public transport between centres of accommodation, stadiums, fan zones and other key destinations will reduce reliance on motor vehicles and this will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.’’

Furthermore, the committee said: “Modular stadiums are a core element of our delivery strategy. All of the stadiums, being built or upgraded by the SC, will have 40,000 or more seats.

“To solve the problem of potential `white elephants’, a number of the stadiums will be built with modular elements; able to be deconstructed after 2022. “Once deconstructed, not less than 170,000 seats and related cooling infrastructure will be donated to the developing world.

“This unique and lasting legacy will provide the beneficiary countries with high-quality facilities, spurring worldwide growth of football and underscoring Qatar’s commitment to sports development,’’ the committee added.

“It is a welcome development that the newly elected President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has welcomed the idea of Russia and Qatar being left to host the World Cups already awarded to them to host,’’ Obi, the AIPS-Africa president, quipped.

It remains to be seen, however, if the Swiss panel investigating the circumstances under which Russia and Qatar secured the hosting rights of the 2018 and 2022 editions of FIFA World Cup will either conclude the inquiry early or drop the process.

Stakeholders urge the Swiss panel to expedite action and resolve the issue so as to give the two countries ample time to go on with their preparations for the World Cup fiestas.

Football enthusiasts, nonetheless, insist that with what is on ground, the Qataris deserve to be given a chance to realise their dream of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“It is a couple years ahead; let them have their opportunity, and let the FIFA World Cup experience a change of rhythm,” say he enthusiasts.