Qatar would continue to host major sports events even after the World Cup, including the Asian Games and, could potentially bid again for the Olympics.
Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Hassan Al Thawadi said this yesterday, September 19, 2022, as he spoke at the Concordia Summit in New York.
"The World Cup is probably the biggest event that Qatar hosts, but it's not the only event. We're on our path to hosting major events - the 2030 Asian Games, we're in the fray to host the 2023 Asian Cup and dare I say it, potentially, we're going to be bidding again for the Olympics. Our journey being the host of major events and utilising them to achieve the vision that we have, extends beyond Qatar, it includes the region, includes the globe and is ongoing," he said
Al Thawadi welcomed everyone to visit the country adding that the World Cup is an opportunity to discover a new culture, it is an opportunity to explore differences. He added that the World Cup has the ability to bring people together and thus celebrate common humanity saying, "In this day and age, most people are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of arguments or ideologies. There are unfortunately a lot of conflicts out there. Anybody who experienced a sporting event, or anybody who has experienced visiting a country during a World Cup or a Euro or any other sports event, knows that it has this unbelievable ability to bring people together. At that one moment in time, celebrating our common humanity is at its height."
He added that the Middle East is a welcoming region and people might come from different backgrounds but once someone is in the country, everyone just feels at home.
On the challenges that Qatar has faced with labour reforms, he said that the commitment to human and social development was made way back in 2006, much before the World Cup bidding was even considered. Al Thawadi stressed that the labour reforms were not a response to criticisms from the world, but due to Qatar's values adding, "We pursued the reforms and pushed forward of our own volition. Criticism served as a guiding principle when we discussed the subject with our partners. The International Labour Organisation, the International Trade Union Confederation were at one point our adversaries, but today they promote the work that's been done in Qatar as a benchmark in the region."
He further went on to explain the impact of his organisation's efforts with regard to workers' rights. "The work we've done within the SC is a benchmark on a global level. We launched the Workers' Welfare Forum within the SC to ensure that all workers with the companies involved with us could raise their concerns and grievances without fear. This initiative piloted within the environment of the World Cup has now spread throughout the country. And in the last four years, companies have voluntarily committed to reimburse around $28m of recruitment fees of which $23m has already been paid," he said, adding that "the legacy is being delivered now. It's not something that we're looking beyond 2022, the legacy is being delivered now and it'll not end after 2022. Labour reforms are something we're delivering before the tournament and it'll last beyond it."
He explained that "in terms of benchmarks, the only other International Organisation that supersedes us is Apple and they did it over a period of seven years and they reimbursed around I think 37 million. We have done over a period of four years 28 million and again I think its a model that we would push not just to the wider aspect of the environment in Qatar but I think its a model that can be implemented globally."
