Qatar embarked on a journey of creating yet another legacy in connection with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. On Monday, Qatar and the World Health Organisation launched a collaboration to make the 2022 mega event a beacon for physical and mental health promotion and also a model of ensuring future mega sport events are healthy and safe.
Under the three-year joint project, ‘Healthy 2022 World Cup – Creating Legacy for Sport and Health’, Qatar and WHO, working closely with FIFA, will undertake activities to promote healthy lives, health security and physical and mental well-being at the heart of the world football’s sublime event. The project also aims to set and translate the best practices in health promotion, security and safety, as practised at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, for use at major sporting events around the world.
During the project signing ceremony in Geneva, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus said: “As the Qatar tournament will be the first FIFA World Cup held during the pandemic, the event offers a unique opportunity to show how sport can promote health now and provide a lasting legacy for organising healthy sporting events as the world recovers from the pandemic.”
During the event, Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kiuwari said: “The State of Qatar is proud to be the first country from the Middle East to host the FIFA World cup. But our goal is not just to hold a successful sporting event, it is also to hold the healthiest sporting event possible. It is for this reason we have teamed up the WHO.”
From the very beginning of the preparation for holding the FIFA World Cup, Qatar has been determined to make the world’s top sporting event, being held in the Middle East region for the first time, not only a memorable one, but also which will leave a lasting legacy for decades, if not centuries to come. The top authority responsible for holding the event is aptly named the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and from day one it has been living up to its name, by creating legacy after legacy, whether it is in the construction of stadiums, spreading the message of peace and friendship in the name of football, giving a new hope to thousands of marginalised children and youth around the world, etc.
Authorities assure that the 2022 event will be a unique one in several aspects, such as adoption of technology, hospitality, security, crowd management, transport and many more. As a mega event being held just after the severe stage of pandemic, ensuring the health of sports people, spectators and officials are very important and the current project will not only ensure a healthy football event, but will also leave a lasting legacy and model for several years to come.
