December 18 this year was an exceptional event for the Qatari people, who celebrated their National Day in conjunction with the completion of the successful organization of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
While the Qataris gathered in the morning to celebrate the independence of their country, millions around the world held their breath and watched the Lusail World Cup stadium in the evening to watch who wins the Gold Cup, and how the curtain will fall on the scene of the end of the celebration of the most wonderful organization of the World Cup as witnessed by everyone, ending with the loud shouts that erupted in the sky Qatar and the world celebrate the victory of Argentina.
Qatar has scored political, diplomatic and cultural goals in this tournament, and strengthened its international position as the capital of sports in the Middle East, which qualified it to host other continental tournaments such as the 2023 Asian Cup, and many international sporting events expected in the coming years.
Despite the direct targeting of Qatar before and during the tournament through media campaigns, the able and wise Qatari leadership preferred to respond to the skeptics in the field, and millions of visitors and fans came to Qatar to watch the World Cup.
Yes, Qatar succeeded in organizing the World Cup, defended its Arab identity and tolerant Islamic values, gained the respect of the world, and represented a point of convergence and rapprochement between peoples.
The matches also took place in an atmosphere of security and safety that this country enjoys, and no major incident that disturbed public security was recorded. .
Behind this success, there is no doubt, a luminous determination and a steel will that worked under the most difficult political and economic conditions that swept the region and the world.
Despite the closures of the Corona epidemic, which imposed a reduction in the pace of work, the World Cup facilities and infrastructure in Qatar were ready ahead of time.
Qatar also succeeded in upholding its identity and the values of its society without restricting the freedoms of individuals, and with the passage of time the echoes of the media campaigns diminished when the audience and the media touched the generosity of the state, citizens and residents, so everyone committed to respecting the traditions of the country they visited, and they got to know the culture of Arabs and Muslims closely, and it was Qatar is the best ambassador for that.
It is the first time that a global sporting event is organized in the Middle East, a region that has long been reduced to a stereotype that confines it to a framework of endless wars and conflicts, or reduces its culture and civilization to patterns of consumption, lack of productivity and lack of success.
Qatar has erased all these illusions, and in terms of numbers, FIFA says that the Qatar World Cup enjoyed unprecedented attendance and viewership. The number of attendees in the group stage matches of the Qatar World Cup reached two million and 450 thousand fans, with an occupancy rate of 96% of the capacity of the stadiums, exceeding the number of fans in the World Cup. 2018 in Russia, which reached two million and 170 thousand fans, which made FIFA consider that the 22nd edition in Qatar achieved a great public success.
It is true that football is the most popular sport in the world, watched by billions of fans on different continents, but for Qatar, football is not limited to reflecting a positive image of the world, stimulating the tourism sector, or diversifying the economy.
It is a message that this East, on which the sun does not set, is capable of organizing and managing, and that major events should not remain confined to the hands of the major powers, because on this earth, there is someone who deserves to succeed.
When His Highness the Father Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, started the World Cup journey with Qatar winning the honor of organizing the tournament in 2010, work began to achieve a dream that some thought was unattainable.
And when the hour of work struck, and with persistence and perseverance, this achievement was achieved by His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, may God protect him.
His Highness the Emir stood welcoming the world to everyone's Doha, and the country's streets and landmarks were filled with all the colors of world life and cultures, and the ultimate goal that Qatar gifted to its region is that it paved the way for Arab and Islamic countries to organize major events such as the World Cup.
We are delighted to share with our Qatari brothers the moments of overwhelming happiness at the end of this wonderful tournament, and we also thank them for their generous hospitality during the period of the Turkish security forces’ work within the World Cup Security Force, as about 3,000 Turkish personnel participated alongside their brothers in the Qatari security forces, and it was a great opportunity For the two parties to exchange experiences in securing major events.
We are also proud of the participation of Turkish companies in many World Cup projects, such as the construction of the "Al-Thumama" stadium, in addition to the presence of other fingerprints in the construction of the rest of the World Cup stadiums, and the infrastructure that accompanied the preparations for the tournament, as well as the organization of cultural and heritage activities, the provision of transportation, and the hospitality and restaurants sector. And the fields of media, advertising, hotel and logistical support.
Yes, Qatar succeeded in organizing the World Cup, defended its Arab identity and tolerant Islamic values, gained the respect of the world, and represented a point of convergence and rapprochement between peoples.