During the promotions of the World Association for Sport Management (WASM) 2023 Conference, panelists stressed the importance of the Worldcup bridging the gap and also helping in removing stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims. 

The discussion was held at the 3-2-1 Olympic Museum with the theme“Looking Back, Moving Ahead – The New Era for the Sport Industry in Qatar and Beyond.” Discussions included the impact of Qatar hosting the World Cup as compared to the countries that have previously been hosts. It was also noted how Qatar had made its journey from being the host of the 2006 Asian Games to today, and to also host the 2030 Asian games, promising to bid for the 2036 Olympic games.

Participants in the panel included Dr. Ahmed Al-Emadi, Professor of Sport Management at QU and WASM 2023 Co-Chair, Dr. Kamilla Swart-Arries, Associate Professor and Director of the Sport and Entertainment Management Program at CSE, HBKU, and WASM 2023 Co-Chair; Dr. Holger Preuss, Professor for Sport Economy and Sport Sociology at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz; Eng. Fahad Ebrahim Juma Muhana, Director, Strategy and Projects Department (SPD), Qatar Olympic Committee. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Othman Althawadi, College of Business and Economics at Qatar University

“Despite being a small country, we have proved to have a great potential to host global events. I remember when Qatar got the hosting rights to the World Cup in 2010, our leaders said this event will be for the whole Arab nations and Muslim countries,” Dr. Al-Emadi said.

“With nearly two million spectators coming to Qatar, they’re going to learn about our culture and history, which I think is one of the main things for me as a citizen. This will bring a great change to the Western media in the near future. I encourage every citizen, and resident, to truly represent our culture and our religion as well, and to be a good ambassador.”

Qatar is set to host the FIFA World Cup from November 20 to December 18 later this year, With almost 65 days left, the officials have been adamant to encourage hosts to welcome the merging cultures and break barriers for their guests, as this is what the tournament signifies as the bigger picture. The legacy of the tournament has been highlighted as the strength the small and medium enterprises have also shown to host an event of this size.

Dr. Al Emadi added that the tournament would change people’s mindset, especially in the media, and prove that geographical size doesn’t matter and a state like Qatar can host an event of this size.

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Cover image and source: Peninsula