DOHA: The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) stepped onto the global stage this week to highlight the unifying power of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
SC’s Secretary-General Hassan Al Thawadi delivered a keynote speech, alongside UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Al Thawadi took the opportunity to address a global audience in the opening session of a panel on ‘The Value of Hosting Mega Sport Events as a Social, Economic and Environmental Sustainable Development Tool’.
“Football is unquestionably the No. 1 pastime in the Middle East,” said Al Thawadi.
“We live and breathe the game. Wherever you go in the region, you will witness football being played — in stadiums, parks, streets, roundabouts and beaches.
“Football plays a vital role in our communities. Multiple countries, multiple cultures, multiple religions – and across the Middle East I can assure you that passion for football unites us like nothing else can.”
“From the day we launched our bid we have maintained that the 2022 FIFA World Cup would not be Qatar’s World Cup but a World Cup for the Middle East. We believe that this is the perfect time for an event of this magnitude to be held in our region,” he added.
“If you switch on your television and turn on news, pictures reveal a world that appears to be ravaged by extreme and divisive rhetoric,” he said.
“It would suggest we live in a world where differences between peoples are exacerbated and utilised to enhance conflict rather than being celebrated.
“Hours of coverage and thousands of words are dedicated to explaining why we should fear people with different beliefs. In this climate of extremism, it is important to remember that a counter-narrative does exist.
Ban highlighted the importance of creating sustainable legacies for major tournaments.
“Mega sports events have always contributed to sustainable change,” said Ban.
“The benefits of these events have not always been long-lasting, but they must be. Mega events must leave enduring legacies that benefit societies long after games are over.
“All hosts of mega events should integrate sustainability at their core. Let us work together so that the motto of all mega events in the future is cleaner, greener and more sustainable,” Ban added.
Later, Nasser Al Khater, Assistant Secretary General, Tournament Affairs, SC, took part in a panel on challenges and opportunities associated with a landmark event such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup .
“We’re confident that over the next six years everyone will see this World Cup will be a driver to push on progress which will have a direct impact on the future of this country.
“World Cup tournaments in general have always been celebration of cultures and I believe this World cup will be no different,” he added.
The session was attended by key sporting and political figures from all over the world, offering Qatar the opportunity to deliver key messages to an influential and diverse sports panel, including Brazilian legend and two-time FIFA World Cup winner Cafu.
Also present were Laksmi Puri, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Acting Head of UN Women; Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser on Sport Development and Peace; basketball legend Dikembe Mutombo; and 12-time German Gold medallist Paralympian Verena Bentele.
The Peninsula
