Qatar presented an exceptional edition of the FIFA World Cup (Anadolu Agency)

DOHA – With the first anniversary of Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, the tournament remains an important success milestone in Qatar and the region as a whole, not because it is the most important football tournament in the world, but also because of the cultural, political and sporting positives that hosting it has achieved globally, and the sustainable legacy it has also left behind.

The Qatar World Cup, which was held for the first time in the Middle East and the Arab world, presented an exceptional and unprecedented version of its kind in the history of the greatest football tournament, both inside and outside the stadiums, and won praise at all regional and global levels.

World Cup's legacy was not only sports, as it played an important role in consolidating Qatar's position as a leading destination for major sports tournaments and high-level cultural events, but the tournament left a human legacy and made its great mark on the export of Qatari, Arab and Islamic culture and its integration with the cultures of the world.

World Cup stadiums that expressed Qatari and Arab culture (Qatari press)

Khalid Al Naama, former spokesperson for the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said that the concept of legacy was rooted in the first seeds of the Qatar World Cup, so it was called the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, considering that the State of Qatar is in the process of benefiting from this legacy, as evidenced by the multiple uses of the tournament facilities in sports and non-sports events.

Al-Naama said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that the legacy of World Cup clearly appeared in Qatar's ability to quickly organize the 2023 Asian Cup after China's apology, considering that the biggest legacy in this regard is the human legacy represented by the Qatari and Arab energies that worked in organizing the tournament, and became a repertoire of expertise and polished energies that contribute not only to the sports sector, but to the organization of major events in various sectors in the State of Qatar.

Qatar World Cup contributed to the rapprochement of different cultures and civilizations (Qatari press)

Cultural heritage

He saw that the cultural legacy of the Qatar World Cup reformulated the Arab world and the Middle East in the mentality of football fans around the world, as it was the first time that the Arab world had the freedom to tell its narrative from its perspective, "so we witnessed the imposition of the Palestinian cause and the definition of it to the world and the wearing of the Argentine national team star Lionel Messi for the Arab Bisht, and such a viewing that contributed greatly to the cultural reformulation of the East and West region.

The World Cup in Qatar has contributed to introducing the world to Arab culture and the tolerance of the Islamic religion throughout the tournament, which was evident in many initiatives, both individual and public, as well as awareness programs for fans around stadiums and in fan zones.

There was tireless work with all partners in the State of Qatar to introduce the tolerance of Islam, and to highlight the Qatari, Arab and Islamic culture and identity in the best way, where female fans enjoyed a safe atmosphere in the stands, and alcohol was prohibited in sports facilities.

The opening ceremony of the World Cup clearly expressed the Islamic identity, in addition to the adoption of Arabic as an official language in the alleys of "FIFA", which came as a result of Qatar's organization of the World Cup, as well as the songs that formed the album of World Cup and expressed Arab and Qatari music specifically, according to Al-Naama.

Al-Naama stressed that Qatar has become an automatic choice for anyone who wants to organize a successful tournament, whether in football or otherwise, as it is resorted to to organize tournaments that other countries may apologize for, as the human capabilities and accumulated experience, in addition to the distinguished infrastructure and the unique model that Qatar has been successfully presenting, make it among the countries capable of organizing not only sporting events but also major events and events.

Al-Naama considers that the World Cup in Qatar contributed to introducing the world to Arab culture and the Islamic religion (Al Jazeera)

Tourist destination

The World Cup created Qatar a distinctive and favorite tourist destination for everyone, as many of the World Cup fans returned to Doha again in light of the availability of tourist areas and various destinations, as well as the human heritage in light of the explosion of human energies, whether Qataris or residents in Qatar, which benefits the state in all fields.

Mohammed Al Khanji, Director of Local and Regional Media at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said that the World Cup has gained so many that the tournament has made Qatar one of the tourist and sports destinations in which the international community has great confidence in hosting various sporting events.

Al-Khanji said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that the sports legacy is represented in sports facilities and stadiums World Cup Arab and Qatari identity, which will contribute to the organization of many tournaments in the future, led by the Asian Nations Championship scheduled for next January.

Al-Khanji: The organizational success of the World Cup contributed to the consolidation of Qatar's international position (Getty Images)

He added that World Cup contributed to accelerating the pace of achievement of Qatar Vision 2030, as many of the projects of this vision have been shortened to be ready before the tournament, including the infrastructure that the country has witnessed in the recent period, and the means of transportation that have formed and diversified during the World Cup and are now a sustainable legacy used by everyone who comes or lives in the State of Qatar, as well as for future generations.

He explained that one of the legacy of World Cup is also to introduce the world to the true image of Arab and Qatari culture and the tolerance of the religion of Islam, in light of the interest of many fans to learn about this culture and interact with it, whether in stadiums or fan areas.

Al-Khanji considered that the confidence of the international community in Qatar's hosting of major sporting events has existed for a long time, and was generated after hosting many major sporting events, such as the 2006 Masters, the Handball World Cup, the World Cup of Athletics, and other events, in light of the availability of sports facilities, but stressed that the organizational success contributed to establishing Qatar's position internationally, which was reflected in its victory in hosting the 2027 Basketball World Cup and the 2030 Asiads.

Source : Al Jazeera