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When the FiFA inSPectorS cAMe cALLinG...
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atar has a mountain of challenges to overcome before it can meet the FIFA requirements to host World Cup 2022. But it has the will and support of its leaders to meet all of them, which was evident when a sixmember FIFA inspection team, led by the President of the Chilean Football Federation Harold Mayne-Nicholls, inspected the Bid proposal. Climate, lack of infrastructure, cultural barriers, hotel rooms and visa restrictions were but some of the challenges that the 70-odd foreign media, who had gathered for the FIFA Inspector’s opening
statement, probed about. All of them were promised to be addressed, climate by the latest cooling technology made available in the stadia, a metro plan to take care of the infrastructure backlog, cultural barriers to be overlooked keeping in mind the visitors’ sentiments, hotel rooms constructed and visa barriers to be handled as per fan requirements. HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, Chairman of the Qatar 2022 Bid, in his address to the media said, “We have always been honest about our challenges and how we will be meeting them.”
QAtArÕ S USP Qatar’s Bid showcases a $4 billion (QR14.56 billion) plan to build nine stadiums and renovate three others, all with the new cooling system, as well as some of the $42.9 billion (QR156.58 billion) in infrastructure upgrades including a new airport, metro system, high-speed rail network, and more hotel rooms. The Bid claims that the country will have a ‘Compact, Cool and Connected’ Cup. And being compact, the organisers guarantee that visitors could see as many as three games in a day since all stadiums will be no further than an hourÕ s travel apart. And when itÕ s over, Qatar will break down several stadiums and donate 170,000 seats to developing countries to avoid leaving behind any white elephants.
The FIFA team inspecting a prototype stadium showcasing Qatar’s environment-friendly cooling technologies 12
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Qatar Today october 10
9/30/10 3:09:39 PM
news bites
The FIFA team visited Qatari Diar, to view presentations on Qatar’s development plans for the capital city of Doha, which includes a state-of-the art high-speed rail and metro system to be completed before the World Cup
Qatar 2022 Technical Director Yasir Al-Jamal (R) stands with Head of FIFA Inspection Team, Harold Mayne-Nicholls (L) in front of a model of the proposed stadium at QU
HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, Chairman of the Qatar 2022 Bid with Myane-Nicholls
StAr AMbASSADor
Zinedine Zidane with Hassan Al-Thawadi, Head of Qatar 2022 Bid
Qatar 2022 Bid Committee unveiled legendary French footballer Zinedine Zidane as the newest bid ambassador. Zidane appeared at a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, flanked by Qatar 2022 Bid CEO Hassan Al-Thawadi and other bid leaders, and announced his firm support to Qatar’s bid and their goals to bring the world’s greatest sporting event to the Middle East for the first time. Ò Football is for everyone,Ó Zidane said. Ò When I think of all the youth of the Middle East, what they’re missing is an event like the World Cup. We had [the World Cup] in Africa and now it is time for the Middle East.”
october 10
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Qatar Today
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9/30/10 3:10:01 PM