Football World Cup: Qatar to the challenge of reception and security
The command center for World Cup security in Qatar, March 28, 2002. AP - Rob Harris
Text by: Nicolas Falez Follow
3 mins
The World Cup which begins Sunday, November 20 in Qatar is the first organized in the Middle East.
It is a very small country of 3 million inhabitants which is preparing to welcome 1 million visitors during the four weeks of the tournament.
Among the challenges awaiting Qatar in the coming weeks, that of accommodation capacities and that of security.
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of our special envoy in Doha,
In twelve years of preparations,
the wealthy gas emirate
has built or renovated the 8 stadiums that will host the matches.
A metro and a tram have appeared in Doha, the capital, and even a new city around the stadium which will host the final.
►Also read:
Qatar: "For the World Cup, it's ready, but there will still be work afterwards"
The vast room resembles those where we control the take-off of rockets: the same giant screens, the same rows of computers behind which are seated technicians.
But here, it is the 8 stadiums of the World Cup that we scrutinize in real time.
Some 20,000 cameras are trained on every corner, from the stands to the parking lot.
Analyze crowd movements by artificial intelligence
“
In the stands we have special cameras, with extremely high resolution.
On the opposite side of the stadium, we can zoom in and observe the faces of the spectators very clearly.
The aim is to prevent any unwanted behavior, and if we see anything unusual, like people jumping in their seats, we can inform our forces on site who will then politely ask them to remain seated
,” explains Nyas. Abdulrahiman, one of the control center managers.
Eighty-five operators take turns in front of the screens, and artificial intelligence makes it possible to analyze in real time potentially dangerous crowd movements in the stands or around the stadium.
Here, we monitor, but we can also act remotely.
“
If we want to open a door, we can do it from here.
For example, in an emergency scenario, we can unlock all the doors with just one click
,” continues Nyas Abdulrahiman.
According to our interlocutors, no World Cup has benefited from such advanced technologies.
For the security of the competition, Qatar has also received reinforcements, in particular police officers from Turkey, France or the United Kingdom.
Mobile
homes
in the desert
The other challenge of this unprecedented World Cup is accommodation.
A wind laden with sand flaps the flags of the countries vying for the World Cup.
We are south of Doha, in a village of
mobile homes
.
The yellow cabins are 6 by 3 meters, they are equipped with showers and toilets.
This is a low-cost accommodation solution, an alternative to hotel rooms.
Omar al-Jaber, the accommodation manager for this World Cup, explains: “
On this site, there are 6,000 cabins.
60% of them are already reserved.
There are two possible rates: $200 per night, for a cabin that can accommodate up to two people, or $270 for half board.
»
Qatar has planned to donate these temporary accommodations to developing countries after the World Cup.
Besides this cabin village, visitors can stay in classic hotels, traditional Bedouin tent campsites, or sleep in one of the three cruise ships docked in the port of Doha.
►
To read also:
our World Cup file
►Also read:
Migrant workers in Qatar: "I love football, but I will not be able to attend the matches"
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