(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Five years have passed since that memorable day when Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The core team of 70 people responsible for the successful bid that won Qatar the right to host the first tournament in the Middle East has now grown into a diverse team of over 500 people from fifty nationalities, who are firmly focussed on the next seven years.
Signs of progress towards the successful delivery of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the Qatar National Vision 2030 are visible all across the country.
In the six proposed host venues for the tournament currently underway, with the location of a seventh stadium now announced, in the rapidly developing construction works for the Doha Metro or in the completed state-of-the art Hamad International Airport that will welcome hundreds of thousands of fans in seven years' time.
On 2 December 2010, Engineer Ghanim Al Kuwari, currently the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Competition Venues Executive Director, was working for the Local Organising Committee of the 2011 Asian Cup.
He gathered with a group of colleagues and friends to watch the broadcast from Zurich at Katara, an emblematic Qatari location that fans will be able to enjoy in 2022.
"To be honest, it's not that I don't have confidence in Qatar, but as it's something that was really new to the Middle East, I couldn't imagine that we would be one of the countries that would host the World Cup. When it was announced we were very excited, happy and looking to the future. I cannot express my feelings with words, but I was really excited and tears almost came to my eyes," he said.
Soon after the announcement, Al Kuwari decided to put his vast experience forward and was selected to be part of the project. The Qatari engineer remembers the achievements but believes the key is to look ahead.
He said: "We are all very proud to work towards 2022 and the World Cup, because this project is about Qatar. What I see, since I am dealing with most of our stakeholders, is that they are planning towards the World Cup and beyond."
He added: "The World Cup is part of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and is uniting all the stakeholders to present Qatar in a very nice way during the tournament. Most of the authorities in Qatar are working towards this and, no matter what, Qatar will be equipped with the right tools to deliver the World Cup."
For Megan Jenkins, joining the SC in 2013 was an honour, particularly because she was appointed to the Workers' Welfare Committee. She explained: "We have been through a huge learning curve in developing and implementing the SC's Workers' Welfare Standards and are pleased to see they have formed the basis for standards being adopted by other organisations."
"The commitment to Workers' Welfare by the SC resulted in a dedicated Workers' Welfare Unit being created earlier this year, led by Khalid Al-Kubaisi, which I am proud to be a part of. The spotlight is on Qatar and workers' welfare due to the World Cup, and this spotlight has assisted us to bring attention to these issues and focus on areas which need support and development."
Jenkins is aware that change does take time but emphasised: "It is pleasing to see how our contractors have accepted and adopted our Standards and we expect the effect of the Standards to spread widely in the run up to 2022."
Sc.qa
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