FIFA 2022 preparations
FIFA 2022 and how QATAR is preparing to host the event
The state of Qatar has been awarded the rights to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup and is now preparing a number of different projects before this huge event. Because this event will bring in millions of dollars and many, many tourists, Qatar must do everything in its power to ensure that the country is ready.
Here are some of the ways that Qatar is preparing to host this event:
New stadiums
In order for the World Cup to be successful, FIFA requires a minimum of eight stadiums. Qatar has upped this and has proposed nine new stadiums and the renovation of three that already exist. All of these stadiums have been uniquely designed (https://www.stadiumguide.com/al-bayt-stadium/) and all fit an average of 47,500 seats each. All of these stadiums are currently under construction, despite plans for many of them to be open in 2018 and 2019. These stadiums will need to be constructed quickly to be ready for the 2022 games.
New hotels
The FIFA games will bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the country to watch the games. According to Fatma al-Nuaimi, the head of communications for the supreme committee who are organising the games, Qatar hopes to attract around 1.2 million tourists to the event
To meet this demand, Qatar needs to build infrastructure in order to be able to host these tourists. In addition to the hotels already available in the country, the country has planned a range of ‘innovative’ ideas to host visitors. For example, the country is planning on hosting people on cruise ships, hotel apartments and private homes.
Qatar has designed a ‘Host a Fan’ initiative, where Qatari people can volunteer to house tourists. However, there are a number of rules. For example, a host is only allowed to host two guests per room if they are a husband and wife or if they are two friends of the same gender. If the tourists do not meet these requirements, the hosts can only allow one person per room.
In addition to this scheme, the city is also planning to build 16 floating hotels, which will provide 1,6000 rooms for tourists.
Updated airport security
Because so many tourists will be entering the country for the games, airport security must be enhanced to ensure safety. Qatar has prepared a number of steps to improve the security of its airports. They are currently building on top of their existing infrastructure and adding updated passport readers that will provide the security team with fast results to detect forged passports with ease. They also hope to add fingerprint scanners to their systems so that tourists can be admitted into the country using their fingerprints.
The country is also planning on increasing surveillance in the airports so that issues and suspicious persons can be detected fast.
Final thoughts
Qatar has just over a year to ensure that its infrastructure is ready for the FIFA World Cup, and its focus must be on security and accessibility so that the games can be enjoyed by all without risks.