The State of Qatar’s success in holding a remarkable FIFA World Cup demonstrates daily the wisdom of its strategy in choosing not to pay heed to the persistent smear attacks it has faced since being chosen to host the tournament in 2022. By organizing an unprecedented tournament for the most prestigious sporting event in the world, which is being held for the first time in an Arab and Islamic nation, Qatar responded to critics with actions rather than words.
Since the dazzling launch of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Qatar has managed to open a new chapter in the history of hosting the World Cup as the first Arab and Middle Eastern country to host the mega global event. The opening ceremony saw a unique mixture of the East with a pure Qatari flavor and the modernity of the West with its rapid rhythm. The ceremony was distinguished by a visual dazzle that was not seen in a World Cup opening before, using the latest technologies in lighting, sound and visual tricks.
Qatar gave the World Cup events a purely Arab taste, through the opening ceremony at Al Bayt Stadium, whose design was inspired by the traditional Bedouin tent, as well as the line-up of Arabian horses outside the stadium, in addition to the artistic performances included in the ceremony that combine Arab traditions and international culture.
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The State of Qatar, through its organization of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, sent an important message from the Arab world to the whole world, calling on everyone to come together and unite, to build bridges between all races, religions, cultures, colors and genders, and to fill all distances with acceptance and respect and coexistence. Qatar, by hosting the World Cup, formed a forum for dialogue between the East and the West.
Mexican sports journalist Ignacio Suarez said: “The terrifying and horrific image promoted by the West about Qatar, and about the Arabs in general, is different from the reality we witnessed in this country… It is true that the Arab-Islamic culture differs from our culture, but we have to understand and accept it.. Each of us is different from the other, and we have to accept each other in order to coexist.”
In a live broadcast from Doha on the AD Noticias website, Suarez said: “We must admit that Qatar and the Arab world that we see is completely different from what we used to hear in Western media.”
With regard to what some say about imposing restrictions on women, the Suarez confirmed that women in Qatar live a normal life. They drive their cars, go to work, cafes and restaurants, enjoy their time with their children, and communicate with everyone through social networking sites and the Internet. Women in the Qatari markets find the same products that are sold in the western markets.”
British researcher and academic Simon Chadwick said that Qatar, by organizing the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, was able to take the World Cup out of the Qatari geographical space to become a regional event with excellence, whose echo extended to the entire Arab region from the Middle East to North Africa, and became an occasion in which all residents of the region participate.
He noted that Qatar’s organization of the World Cup disappointed the expectations of many. While some expected that this tournament would be a purely Qatari event in which many football fans and fans in Arab countries and other countries of the world would not participate, the tournament witnessed a large turnout from the Gulf and Arab countries and all world countries, which gave the tournament an exceptional atmosphere. Speaking to the “Insights” program on the French website Skema BS, Chadwick added that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 showed the extent of cohesion between the Qatari people and the Arab and Gulf peoples, all of whom lined up behind the Arab teams participating in the tournament; noting the large presence of Saudi football fans who enriched the atmosphere of the World Cup.
Chadwick emphasized that Qatar’s organization of the tournament gave this event the ultimate symbolic significance, emphasizing that the organization of this massive sporting event is a certificate of recognition of the Arab countries as peers worthy of organizing such major international tournaments that were previously held by certain countries.
