Tag: Qatar

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FIFA introducing World Cup Fan Fest events for Qatar 2022 and could see London bid to stage its own

FIFA has launched 'Fan Fests' for the 2022 Qatar World Cup this winter, which will be outside the host country for the first time, to make the tournament more accessible for football fans

FIFA has launched ‘Fan Fests’ around the world for the 2022 Qatar World Cup to make the tournament more accessible for football fans.

The competition, lasting a little less than a month from October-November this winter, will take place in the remote Middle Eastern peninsula. 

And global football’s governing body FIFA is introducing fan parks outside the host country for the first time, to allow supporters to drink in the World Cup experience outside Qatar – and London could bid to host its own.

FIFA has launched 'Fan Fests' for the 2022 Qatar World Cup this winter, which will be outside the host country for the first time, to make the tournament more accessible for football fans

FIFA has launched ‘Fan Fests’ for the 2022 Qatar World Cup this winter, which will be outside the host country for the first time, to make the tournament more accessible for football fans

If London does secure its own venue, it would be competing with the hugely popular Winter Wonderland in the city centre around the same time. 

Officially licensed Fan Fests began at the Germany World Cup in 2006 and have continued since then. 

There were 11 festival parks across each of the host cities in the competition’s last edition, in Russia in 2018, and the previous four World Cups have seen 40million visitors across five continents.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: ‘To support our mission to make football truly global, accessible and inclusive, we are thrilled to introduce a new vision for the entertainment experience surrounding future FIFA World Cup events.

Official Fan Fests began at the Germany World Cup in 2006 and have continued since then, with 11 festival parks across each of the host cities in the last edition, in Russia in 2018

Official Fan Fests began at the Germany World Cup in 2006 and have continued since then, with 11 festival parks across each of the host cities in the last edition, in Russia in 2018

‘The FIFA Fan Festival provides an incredible opportunity for fans to come together beyond the stadiums and the on-pitch action and experience football in new and unique ways. 

‘We are truly excited about the future of the FIFA Fan Festival and the enhanced entertainment offerings that will bring fans and partners alike closer to both men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups, as well as global football culture.’

The fan parks at the Euro 2020 tournament, held across 11 countries in Europe, were largely successful, and the demand for tickets to the fan park in Hyde Park, London for the 2018 World Cup semi-final between England and Croatia was massive.

Qatar, a smaller country by area than Vanuatu, the Falkland Islands and Moldova , will only host one fan park, a ‘reimagined’ space in Al Bidda Park in Doha, with the capital city’s skyline in the background.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (pictured) called the fan parks a 'new vision for the entertainment experience' in order to 'make football truly global, accessible and inclusive'

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (pictured) called the fan parks a ‘new vision for the entertainment experience’ in order to ‘make football truly global, accessible and inclusive’

It will feature live broadcasts of every match on giant screen, concerts with top global music artists, a food court with ‘local cuisine and international delicacies’, matches with FIFA Legends, gaming stations and an official FIFA store.

The country is inaccessible compared to previous editions of the World Cup, with costs expected to be high.

If an England fan travels return from London, follow the Three Lions’ to the final (if they get there) and attend all eight matches along the way, sit in the cheapest seats and stay in the least expensive accommodation, the Football Supporters’ Association has calculated you will part with £5,000, before you pay for any food and drink.

However, this has to be caveated with the fact tickets sales have been strong, with nearly 2.5million sold so far.

FIFA will be offering fans a chance to camp at the World Cup in tents costing £350 per night

FIFA will be offering fans a chance to camp at the World Cup in tents costing £350 per night

Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Secretary General H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi added: ‘It will be the centrepiece of our FIFA World Cup – the first to be held in the Middle East and the Arab world. 

‘When fans arrive in November, they should expect a warm welcome, amazing football and a large number of entertainment options. We look forward to welcoming the world in just over 70 days.’

The Fan Fest will appear at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, for the first time.

In July, FIFA unveiled a ‘tent city’ offering accommodation for the World Cup, which will cost supporters £350 per night as part of a ‘fan village’ camping experience. The tournament, at the time of writing, will take place in 75 days. 

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QNL to mark new academic year with variety of workshops and events in September

Peninsula

Doha: Qatar National Library (QNL) is set to host an exciting lineup of events and workshops for members this September, focusing on heritage and research as well as health, education and learning to support children, parents and teachers for the new academic year. The Library will also hold a lecture on sports event management in Qatar and accessibility features for spectators with disabilities in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

On 3 September, researchers are invited to attend a one-day event dedicated to strengthening their skills through three technical workshops that give oversight of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

On 3, 10, 17, and 24 September, the Library will host its second “Young Adults Coding Camp,” in collaboration with AdStep, an EdTech start-up led by a group of engineers from Qatar University. The sessions aim to equip young adults with technical skills related to coding, robotics, gaming and design.

On 6 September, the Library will host “The Creative Writing Circle for Adults” which provides an opportunity for creative writers to come together and share their work. The group provides inspiration, feedback and encouragement in a supportive environment.

With the beginning of another academic year, children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) need specific strategies and a special classroom environment that supports their learning. Teachers are invited to join this lecture on “Regulating Behavior in a Classroom Environment for Students with ADHD” on 10 September, to learn about some of these strategies and ways to put them into practice.

The Library will host a series of seminars on 11 and 17 September, where parents are invited to learn skills, tips, tricks, and habits to support children to get to the next level in their academic lives. The seminars will cover topics ranging from human psychology, neurolinguistic programming and physiology to smart ways to study, how to construct an essay and how to improve your memory.

On 14 September, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra will be back at the Library to perform Schuberts Octet in F Major. This beloved titan of the chamber music repertoire comprises six movements and effuses a tender warmth of expression and lyrical beauty from first note to last.

On 15 September, the Library will host “FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Accessibility for Spectators with Disabilities,” a practical discussion guide to raise awareness about the accessibility features of FIFA 2022 to ensure that the unique atmosphere, matchday services and passion for the event can be shared and enjoyed by everyone, regardless of physical ability. The program will be presented by representatives from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy and Qatar Social and Cultural Center for the Blind.

On 15 September, the Library invites teachers and parents to a workshop that discusses how to nurture and guide gifted and creative children to help them get the most out of their talents.

Then, on 18 September and with the FIFA World Cup rapidly approaching, the Library will host a lecture that will cover the historical aspects of managing and hosting large sporting events as well as the current and future implications for Qatar. Guest speakers for this event will be Dr. Danyel Reiche and Dr. Matthias Krug. Dr. Danyel Reiche is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) and an Associate Professor at Georgetown University in Qatar where he leads a research initiative on the FIFA World Cup 2022. With Paul Brannagan, he published the book Qatar and the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Politics, Controversy, Change (Palgrave Macmillan 2022), and edited the volume Handbook of Sport in the Middle East (Routledge 2022). Dr. Krug is an academic and author of Journeys on the Football Carpet, the first book published about Qatars incredible football journey.

Finally, the Library, the regional IFLA Center for Preservation and Conservation in the Arab Region and the Middle East, will host a webinar on 27 September to highlight the efforts of the National Center for Manuscripts in the Adrar region of Algeria, known for its many family-held collections, which contain a vast number of manuscripts. The lecture will be presented by Belfakir Ahmed, a specialist in the preservation and conservation of manuscripts. 
 

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QSFA holds more sports events

Peninsula

Doha: The calendar of Qatar Sports For All Federation (QSFA), under the umbrella of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, is witnessing a great and intensive activity, through the range of sports events and activities, foremost of which is the sports for all billiards championship in its second edition, launched on Sunday, in cooperation with the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation.

The competitions, which will conclude today, are witnessing a large participation and the championship is one of the tournaments that attracts a large number of practitioners as a popular game. The sports events and activities, organised by Sports For All as part of the summer programme initiative “Invest Your Time”, are held in cooperation between the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, which include 124 sports events aimed at promoting physical activity during the summer for all age groups.

Among the summer activities are those organised in cooperation with the Doha Youth Centre, and held in Al Andalus Schools, and expected to be completed through the third sports round, with the events including a range of sports and recreational games and activities on Tuesdays. Among them are the football playing skills, shooting training, passing the ball and dribbling, tennis competitions, tug of war, and special fitness trainings are conducted, aimed at the leisure of young people, and enabling them to practice their favourite hobbies.

In a related context, the activities of the weekly Lusail Family Sports Programme, which is held on Wednesday and Friday, continues at the Lusail Gym, and is characterised by its lively and active atmosphere for all family members, and among the most important ongoing sports for all activities held in public parks, the 365 days of activity and vitality programme.

Meanwhile,  QSFA is organising a recreational race tomorrow, in Al Rayyan Green Carpet Park for a distance of one kilometre, with the participation of all family members. Registration for the race is available through the application of QSFA, and encouraging awards have been allocated for the children.

The QSFA announced earlier that it will organise 124 sports events during the summer until August 12, to promote the practice of sports, on an ongoing basis, to make sports a way of life.

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CMC member lauds Al Rayyan Municipality’s Eid events

Peninsula

Doha: Member of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) 15th District, Mubarak bin Freesh Al Salem, praised the successful conduct of Eid Al Adha festival event at Al Rayyan Municipality, which was held in cooperation with the Mall of Qatar.

A large number of people attended the event which received numerous praises from attendees. 

The event is aimed to increase the public and community’s awareness of the municipality’s tasks and the most important services provided. 

It also contains brief messages on the role of the municipality and the laws and regulations, through a fun and interactive way of disseminating the information to the public.

Moreover, the municipality also provided gifts to the children and the public. 

The general superviser of the implementation of the event is Jaber bin Hassan Al Jaber, Director of Al Rayyan Municipality, along with the municipality’s organisers and officers. 

This is not the first time the municipality has conducted such event. Last Eid Al Fitr, it held a green carpet activity —where it distributed gifts to children after the Eid prayer in a number of regions, and visited Sidra Hospital to meet with cancer patients from children, among others.

Mubarak Al Salem said that such events have an effective role in building bridges of communication and rapprochement between ministries, agencies and the public to achieve the Ministry’s vision, mission and goals. 

“I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to H E Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Minister of Municipality, and all Ministry employees for their positive contributions to the municipal work and its development and their effective role in providing services to the public in an advanced and modern manner,” he said.

He also stressed his keenness to communicate with all officials in the ministries, authorities and various authorities, to provide the best services in an orderly and fast manner, and to raise the proposals and requirements of the people, in able to share one goal — to serve the homeland and the citizen, and raise the homeland.

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Mega events, QNV 2030 unique components of Milipol

Francois Jullien, Milipol Events Director

Doha: The Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 framework and Qatar’s hosting of mega events are significant constituents of the Milipol Qatar structure, Francois Jullien, Milipol Events Director, told The Peninsula. 

Jullien highlighted the QNV 2030 pillars of economic, social, human and environmental development and noted that these pillars require a stable and secure environment to thrive.  “You cannot achieve development without ensuring that your state is secure, and Qatar is one of the safest countries,” Jullien said. 

“Qatar has been holding a series of large, mega-events, including the next FIFA World Cup. This goes on until 2030 with the Asian Games, taking place also in Qatar. So security in Qatar is paramount in delivering these safe mega events. Many security needs are linked to the organisation of mega events in terms of authentication, access, control, crisis management, intervention, and preventing cybercrimes.

“So being in Qatar in 2022 makes sense, and it will continue to do so because of all the new mega events that will come,” he added.  

Speaking on the uniqueness of Milipol events, Jullien noted that Milipol Paris, Qatar and Singapore are the only exhibitions dedicated to homeland security. He said in Qatar, Milipol has incorporated civil defence structures due to Qatar’s needs visible in the booming construction and policy to regulate the building and maintenance of high rises. 

Besides, Milipol events involve three crucial qualities: innovation, exhibition, and networking. 

“The Milipol network is significant. Our job is to bring new technologies and innovation to each market. Milipol is a place where minds meet. The conference programmes and seminars are essential because we want to deliver high-value content. When you organise such a show, you want to make sure that people can meet. During the show in places like this, you can create useful connections for business or otherwise because it’s peculiar to homeland security and making this community is also very important.”

Jullien said Milipol would encourage new technologies, innovations, start-ups and prototypes. 

“This is how we need to go; we need to evolve, go deeper into technology and allow smaller start-ups to be able to present before they have final products. That’s important to us. We are a network, so we should make each venue benefit from what the others are doing. That kind of cross-fertilisation is unique to our network, and we leverage that to make our shows better,” Jullien stressed.

The Milipol official lauded the close relationship between Qatar and France. The 14th Milipol Qatar recorded QR592m deals signed among participants. Over 11,000 visitors attended the exhibition.

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Katara lines up diverse events throughout Ramadan

A view of Katara all decked-up for Ramadan.

A view of Katara all decked-up for Ramadan.

Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) presents a diverse range of activities and events during Ramadan, which are directed to different interests and age groups. The activities varied between religious, cultural, literary, sports and social events.

Katara is decorated with lights and crescents in all its halls and entrances and to sense the mercies and blessings of this holy month. It also provides visitors with the opportunity to watch the Ramadan cannon and the Al Mashar event.

Before the start of Ramadan, the Suftaan Katara campaign was launched, which seeks to provide humanitarian aid to poor families and needy groups in the society. On the southern side of Katara, spaces have been allocated for productive families to display their various products.

With regard to activities of a religious nature, Katara presents a series of lectures at Katara Mosque after Tarawih prayers in cooperation with the Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Center and the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

Meanwhile, for sports activities and competitions, there are a number of competitions and tournaments, including the Katara Ramadan Chess Championship, popular games, the throwing club and electronic games, Studio 5/6, and the most beautiful Kashka competition in Garangao, Ramadan Short Story Competition, Narrator Event. 

Katara has also dedicated cultural and literary activities in line with the Ramadan atmosphere, such as the Ramadan Nights in Literature and Culture event, which deals with the most prominent writers and writers in novel, story and poetry in a number of Arab countries, and the Arabic coffee event, in addition to the event of Ibn Al Rayb Street, a book and a Qatari personality, which will deal with books issued by Katara Publishing House participated in cultural discussions and various art workshops for children in Buildings 18 and 19 on plastic art and Arabic calligraphy.

The Mahaseel Market on the southern side of Katara will continue its activities daily during the holy month of Ramadan, from 8pm until 12mn. This is to provide visitors with their needs of fresh local products of vegetables, agricultural crops and food products related to livestock such as milk and its derivatives, sheep meat, poultry and eggs, in addition to best natural honey produced by Qatari farms and the best local dates.