Sport is all about team spirit. Cooperation, compromise, coordination, harmony and adjustments among players are very essential in winning a game or match. This is why sport personalities are often treated as heroes, who win over heart and minds of people, nations and spread their fame across boundaries. Nations have realised that the soft power of sport diplomacy can do wonders even in solving international disputes by weaning the world away from hatred, divisive ideologies and all sorts of discrimination.
Qatar is fast becoming the world’s sports hub and hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be the crowning glory. In the run up to the 2022 event, Qatar has been relentlessly pushing sports’ power in spreading the message of peace, eradicating discrimination by taking the whole world as a team.
Recently, two FIFA World Cup legacy programmes, Josoor Institute and Generation Amazing, in cooperation with Unesco held a webinar which discussed the soft power of sport diplomacy. During his keynote speech, Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library, H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, said: “Qatar presents a unique model of cultural diplomacy, one that has transformed sport into an ideal means for rapprochement between nations. Our strides in big sporting events coincide with achievements in strengthening the country’s image and role as advocates of peace and respect for other cultures and their creative diversity – sport truly supports and adds value to this mission.” In a nut shell, this is what Qatar strives to achieve through hosting international sporting events by spending millions of dollars just to make use of sport’s power to bring in rapprochement between nations.
During the webinar, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, H E Hassan Al Thawadi, said: “The overarching and ultimate legacy of Qatar 2022 is people-to-people diplomacy.”
Qatar has been living up to what it is saying. The Generation Amazing programme has already been successful in utilising the power to deliver sustainable change in communities around the world. The programme is mainly aimed at promoting inclusivity, regardless of gender, religion, race or age, ensuring equitable, quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for everyone, all targets of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Thus, Generation Amazing is already leaving a long-lasting legacy.
Once the tournament is over, it is planned to dismantle parts of the stadiums and send them to developing countries to make 22 stadiums. Another legacy for generations to witness and experience. Yes, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will definitely be a unique event for the whole world to watch.
