Sports visitors - that includes players and team officials - to Qatar are being well looked after as international sports tries to find its way back with the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe.
This week’s feedback from Perth Glory defender Dane Ingham on his trip to the Qatari capital for the AFC Champions League, East Zone, matches seemed to be exactly what fans and players should expect during the sports events taking place in Doha.
The 21-year-old New Zealand international - who plays for AFC side Perth Glory - was candid enough to admit in a social media post on the club website that the hotel they are staying at is ‘top-notch’ and the playing surface they trained on is ‘unbelievable’. The young defender also said ‘everything is done to the top level’ giving further credence to Qatar’s bold step of stepping in and helping the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) complete the AFC Champions League - its biggest club event - that got stalled in March because of the COVID-19 situation. Ingram told his club in a video chat that all of his players ‘settled in very quickly’ without any reservations despite having to fly a long distance from Perth to Doha.
Similar sentiments were expressed by the FIBA 3x3 family that arrived for the Masters event held at Al Gharafa Sports Arena over the weekend. Ignacio Soriano, the FIBA 3×3 Head of Events and Partnerships, was ‘delighted to see 14 teams fly’ into Qatar for the hugely popular event that is watched by millions of fans around the world on TV and social media platforms. Soriano said: “We are happy to be here. We complied and we follow all the protocols and measures under the instructions of the Ministry of Public Health. We would like to thank the Qatar Basketball Federation, the Qatar Olympic Committee and all the authorities for their contribution in hosting this event.
Fourteen teams from all over the world, including two from the US, have travelled to compete here. We see Qatar as a solid partner for 3x3 and our association dates back to 2013.” Earlier this month, the Qatar Tennis and Squash Federation had successfully put together the annual Qatar Classic squad event that had players flying into Doha from all over the world for the week-long tournament. It has to be mentioned that Qatar’s bubbleto-bubble environment created to host top sports events merit special praise.
Even in these trying circumstances, Doha is doing what it has always done - bring delight into the lives of sports fans in Qatar and around the world.
