The successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022 is the pinnacle of Qatar’s rich history in staging mega sports events. But the Gulf State will not stop here and will continue to bring the best events in the country to stay as world’s sports hub.
Qatar organised the football showpiece – the first in the Middle East and the Arab world and the most compact in tournament’s modern history with huge success hosting over a million of touring fans backing the 32 competing teams in a befitting manner during the 29-day fiesta.
The tournament staged at eight world class stadiums turned out to be a huge blockbuster on and off the pitch with many hailing the Qatar 2022 as best FIFA World Cup edition ever including FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The success of Qatar 2022 is unprecedented as the tournament set new benchmarks.
But after 12 years of tireless efforts to make the World Cup a roaring success, Qatari sports authorities don’t aim to stop here. The country has been an important part of sports calendar of major championships over the years hosting world class athletes on regular basis. The country annually hosts the MotoGP, tennis, squash, showjumping, athletics, swimming, gymnastics and table tennis events, with padel and Formula One added to the long list last year.
Qatar will add another major competition in its busy calendar in 2024 hosting the inaugural 6 Hours of Qatar after Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) signed a six-year contract for a new race.
After hosting the World Cup, the next major football event the country will host is the Asian Cup which is expected to be held in December 2023 or January 2024.
Already being confirmed as the host nation for the 2030 Asian Games, Qatar is looking to stage more major global, continental and regional events before the multi-sporting continental event which the country hosted for the first time 2006. Qatar will also be home to the 21st FINA World Championships Doha 2024, which will take place from February 2 to 18.
In the past Qatar has successfully staged various global championships like handball, athletics and artistic gymnastics and the country with its state-of-the-art infrastructure and huge experience is the perfect venue to stage the Olympics. The country would love to host mega multi-sporting event as once the Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Hassan Al Thawadi said: “Dare I say it, potentially, we’re going to be bidding again for the Olympics.”
