[INTERVIEW] 'Qatar ready for impressive, historic World Cup': Qatar's ambassador to Korea

Qatar's Ambassador to Korea Khalid Al-Hamar speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the country's embassy in Seoul, Nov. 15. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Ambassador expresses hopes to expand ties in more fields

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is just around the corner and the world's eyes are sharply focused on the first-ever World Cup to be held in the Middle East.

Qatar's Ambassador to Korea Khalid bin Ebrahim Al-Hamar said the country is "fully prepared and ready to host an impressive and historic version of the FIFA World Cup."

"All eight World Cup stadiums have been completed to receive fans as well as all advanced infrastructure projects such as the Doha Metro, road networks and the modern new city of Lusail have been completed," the ambassador said during an interview with The Korea Times, Nov. 15.

"The World Cup has contributed to accelerating the development process and achieving the country's development goals, leaving a lasting legacy for Qatar, the Middle East, Asia and the world at large.

After winning the bid in 2010 to host the first World Cup in the Arab world, Qatar has been putting in tremendous amounts of effort to prepare for the showpiece tournament, investing hundreds of billions of dollars. The Qatari ambassador said this World Cup "will be a tournament like no other."

A unique element of the World Cup in Qatar is that all of the stadiums are located quite close to Doha as well as each other compared to previous hosting countries, with the farthest venue being the Al Bayt Stadium, which is about 50 kilometers away from Qatar's capital city.

"Qatar's compact nature means fans who travel to the tournament will have the chance to attend more than one match per day ― a unique opportunity in the modern history of the competition. Fans will fly into one airport and not have to change their accommodation for the entirety of the tournament," the ambassador said.

"No internal flights will be required, meaning a cheaper and more environmentally friendly experience for fans ― and a refreshing one for players, who will be able to concentrate on training and recuperation rather than traveling long distances."

Being a "green" World Cup is another point emphasized regarding the mega-sporting event in Qatar.

"Sustainability and environmental protection have been at the heart of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 from the very start. There is a firm commitment that this tournament will leave a legacy in sustainability and environmental protection as the State of Qatar has been keen to employ sustainability and environmental protection standards during all stages of the infrastructure projects necessary to organize the global event," Al-Hamar said, adding that the eight stadiums were designed in a way that ensures 30 percent of the energy consumption and 40 percent of the water consumption are lower than international requirements.

In addition, electric buses will be used as the main mode of transportation during the tournament and sustainable transportation systems, such as the Doha Metro system, will reduce the number of cars on the roads, which will further reduce the environmental impact of the tournament.

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With multiple environment-friendly certifications under their belt, the ambassador expressed hopes for the World Cup in Qatar to be a model example of how to organize major sporting events in the future.

Football fans gather by the Corniche (waterfront) in Doha, Qatar, Nov. 16, four days before the 2022 FIFA World Cup begins. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Korea's national football team led by captain Son Heung-min arrived in Qatar on Nov. 14 and Koreans are excited to see the squad on the football pitches of Qatar soon. The Qatari ambassador also has been detecting Koreans' enthusiasm for the global football tournament as the Qatar embassy took advantage of all its participation in the events hosted in Korea to promote the first World Cup in the Middle East.

"Promoting the World Cup has been the main part of the activities carried out by the Embassy of Qatar to Korea since Qatar obtained the right to organize this event. As an example, I would like to mention the 2022 World Cup Pavilion, which was set up by the embassy during the 15th Arab Culture Festival, which attracted a great number of Korean visitors," he said.

The embassy also set up a pavilion publicizing the World Cup as part of the Korea Importers Association's Import Goods Fair in June, where the Korean public was introduced to the latest preparations and what has been accomplished before the start of the 2022 World Cup.

"The Qatari pavilion included a presentation of the stadiums, and related information such as the cities in which these stadiums are located, the matches they will host and the teams playing in them, in addition to distributing publications and displaying promotional videos about the tournament," Al-Hamar said.

"Therefore, the State of Qatar gives greater importance to sports by hosting numerous international sports events. The value of sports culture in the State of Qatar is reflected through the launching of local and international initiatives including National Sports Day and the Doha GOALS initiative," he added.

"The World Cup will accelerate the pace of development on a national level in regards to the infrastructure, in the context of providing the best conditions for hosting the World Cup, in addition to meeting the needs of the Qatari community and achieving its sporting ambitions regionally and globally," the ambassador said.

"In addition to that, hosting the World Cup in Qatar is a regional accomplishment that will contribute to development in the Middle East. This event will change the image of the Middle East and create an atmosphere of positive interaction between the region and the World."

Qatar's Ambassador to Korea Khalid Al-Hamar speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the country's embassy in Seoul, Nov. 15. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Broadening bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between Korea and Qatar were established in 1974 and the two countries have been developing a good relationship, centered on the field of energy.

"Relations between the two countries were almost confined to the field of energy, especially liquefied natural gas (LNG), given that Qatar is one of the major producing countries of LNG and the first supplier of this substance for Korea, but it has now developed to include broader sectors," the ambassador said.

The diplomat sees more possibilities for the two countries to cooperate as Qatar seeks sustainable development through the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030, a roadmap for the country's future launched in 2008.

"The National vision aims to transform Qatar into an advanced country by 2030, capable of sustaining its own development and providing a high standard of living for its population and future generations," Al-Hamar explained.

The QNV 2030 has four main pillars: human, social, economic and environmental development.

"Qatar National Vision includes the development of all economic sectors, especially energy and infrastructure. Dozens of Korean companies have participated in infrastructure projects, building towers and energy sector development projects. Korean companies are currently working in the State of Qatar on multiple projects, including projects that fall within the framework of Qatar's vision 2030," the ambassador said.