Director of Events at the Qatar Asian Cup Organizing Committee: The tournament will witness messages of support for Palestine and we promise surprises | sports

Doha- Abra Mead Al-Emadi, Director of Events at the Organizing Committee for the Asian Cup Qatar 2023, choked up when we asked her about the impact of the Israeli aggression in Gaza on the schedule of events accompanying the football demonstration hosted by Doha. She continued that there was a cloud of sadness that had hung over it since October 7 last month.

She indicated – in an interview with Al Jazeera Net – that the events include messages of support for Palestine, and she hoped that the matches of the “Fedayeen” team would have a special character, stressing that football brings together peoples and presents sublime messages, and pointed out that through the tournament they will try to provide the support and messages that we want as Qataris. And an organizing committee to Palestine.

She revealed that Qatar is 90% ready for the Asian football event, which begins on the 12th of next month, and the remaining 10% is normal operational matters, and promised the fans coming to the Asian event a surprise – as usual in Qatar – when hosting major sporting tournaments, most notably the 2022 World Cup.

Here are the details of the conversation:

• How prepared is Qatar to host the 2023 Asian Cup?

The resounding success of Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup has made us ready to host any sporting event in the short or long term. The World Cup gave us important personal and collective experiences from a human standpoint, making us 100% ready for the Asian Cup, and from the logistical and infrastructure side, we are 90% ready. %, and the remaining 10% to host this continental event is operational and logistical matters, regular work and coordination with our local partners, including the Ministries of Transport, Interior and Health, Doha Port, the Cultural Village (Katara), Msheireb and Lusail.

An example of this is coordination with the Doha Metro “Rail” in terms of organizing the movement of the public and the expected pressure during the Asian Cup period, and extending working hours, as happened during the Qatar 2022 World Cup period.

All the credit for this qualitative readiness goes to the legacy left by the Qatar World Cup. The legacy always gives you rich experiences that benefit the local community and the international community in terms of FIFA tournaments and upcoming international tournaments, and I say it with pride that the Qatar World Cup is the best in history since 1930, according to the testimony of the international community.

• What are the expectations for the success of the Asian Cup?

The public always waits for any tournament organized by Qatar. We organized the Gulf Cup, which was one of the best tournaments, and also the Club World Cup, in addition to the impressive organization of the Arab Cup, which was a very strong tournament, and Doha hosted it successfully, making new generations learn about this tournament that they had not heard of. About it before Qatar organized it.

The State of Qatar has become a global record in the success of any tournament it hosts on its soil, in terms of logistics, audiences, and all other aspects. The tournament will be successful for several reasons, the most important of which are: It will be held within an enjoyable tourist season witnessed by Qatar, beautiful weather and the holiday season, and the availability of various means of transportation for ease of movement and enjoyment of the tournament and events. Facilitating the entry of communities and fans to support their country’s teams through the Haya card.

We saw a great demand for the tournament before its start by measuring the large amount of tickets sold for the matches. The first batch of tickets ended on the first day, the second batch ended within two days, and the third batch will end within days. We are confident of the success of the Asian Cup Qatar 2023.

• What about the schedule of events?

We will announce the schedule of events accompanying the tournament in coordination with the Tourism Authority and cultural partners during the next few days. These are comprehensive activities that are not limited to the tournament only, but rather all the activities that will be held in Qatar during and after the tournament, to ensure a fun and interesting atmosphere for the fans who will flock to the State of Qatar during the tournament. In addition, we are preparing the world amazing surprises during the opening ceremony and throughout the tournament days.

An exciting journey to explore Qatar’s culture and landmarks brought together fan leaders from all over Asia, and they were on a date with the iconic stadiums that will soon open their doors to the teams of the Asian continent.#Come onAsia #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/p3ZdfCsyJR

– Asian Cup Qatar 2023 (@Qatar2023) December 21, 2023

• What is the reason for the delay in announcing the schedule of events?

There has been a cloud of sadness that has fallen over everyone since last October 7 due to the painful events that followed in Gaza. What is happening in Palestine has affected all of us, and I offer my condolences to the families of the martyrs and I hope that God will compensate for their painful affliction and we will see the victory that God promised us. Yes, it has The events in Gaza were the direct reason for the delay in announcing the schedule of events.

We witnessed Qatar’s exceptional role in the events in Gaza, including the humanitarian truce announced by Doha, which we hoped would continue, so that the killing and destruction would stop. We have Palestinian colleagues and we hear every day tragic news about their families, relatives and friends, and therefore it is difficult to celebrate in light of these events, but despite this We decided that the ticket proceeds would benefit our people in Palestine, to send a message saying: We are with you and we will not forget you, and this is the weakest of faith.

• Will the Asian Cup witness messages supporting Palestine?

There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.. and I hope that the Palestinian “Fedayeen” team will be that light that illuminates even a small area of ​​hope in the souls of the Palestinian people. Yes, the tournament will witness supportive messages for Palestine through events and public support for the Palestinian team. We have noticed that more The tickets that witnessed a record turnout were for the matches of the Palestinian national team, as everyone wants solidarity with the noble cause, and therefore the matches in Palestine will witness a special character due to the great public support, and the tournament will convey noble messages through the fans to the whole world, and this is the true meaning of the sportsmanship, and football is the best provider of this. The sublime spirit that calls for peace and security.

• Is the information that indicates that fan zones will not be established in the Asian Cup true?

It is true.. The tournament will not witness fan zones. We have an integrated plan to organize fans inside and outside the stadiums, in cooperation with our local partners, and we will not establish this zone. Souq Waqif, for example, has become a natural fan zone, in addition to Katara, Musheireb and Lusail, all of which will be transformed into fan zones. Natural for fans, and also many of the participating teams will work to establish their own fan areas during the tournament, and these areas will be similar to the Saudi House, for example, in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and enjoyable entertainment, cultural and social events will be held for the fans.

23 days until the start of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 #Come onAsia #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/yRAqop4KJo

– Asian Cup Qatar 2023 (@Qatar2023) December 20, 2023

• What are your expectations for the number of fans who will attend the Asian Cup Qatar 2023 matches?

We expect that the tournament will witness an unparalleled public attendance, and we, in turn, have communicated with the fan associations currently in Qatar to inform them of the stadiums and event areas in the country, in addition to constant communication with the communities of the participating teams in Doha and abroad. We have also provided facilities to our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and those residing in other countries. Gulf, to attend the matches and accompanying events, and we believe that the large demand for purchasing tickets is a clear indication of the large public attendance.

During this period, before the start of the tournament, we began to see many Gulf brothers in Doha, including the Saudis, Emiratis, Kuwaitis, Omanis, and Bahrainis, and we welcome them to their second country, Qatar, not to mention the promotional campaigns that we are carrying out to attract audiences to the Asian Cup in many Arab, European, and Asian countries. In order to introduce public events on the sidelines of matches.

• If we could learn more about the volunteers in the tournament, their number, tasks, and nationalities?

The number of volunteers in the Asian Cup has reached more than 6,000 volunteers. They were recruited through the new platform that we launched months ago, and they will work in multiple fields during the tournament, including organization, transportation services, hospitality, marketing, call centers, and in all fields related to the tournament.

As for the nationalities of the volunteers, they are from Qatar and the Arab and Asian countries, and some of them are from Europe and the American continent, where we trained them each in his field, and how to commit, attend and deal with the public. This is a difficult task, but the Qatar World Cup proved the competence of these volunteers and how they helped in the success of the tournament with an impressive performance worthy of respect. And appreciation.

• Do you feel challenged that you want to organize the tournament in a way that surpasses the Qatar World Cup?

There is nothing like the Qatar World Cup 2022, but we are really challenging ourselves to present the new and dazzling in the 2023 Asian Cup, and we hope that this tournament will be exceptional by all standards, and offer something new to the public and football fans all over the world, and we promise those coming to us from everywhere that they will enjoy and spend a great time. Times full of enthusiasm and fun, and the tournament will not end, God willing, unless there is a strong Qatari imprint placed in the records of organizing the continental tournament, throughout history.