Hassan bin Rashid Al Derham, President of Qatar University, with other officials during the conference.
Doha: The Gulf Studies Center, a part of the College of Arts and Sciences at Qatar University (QU) kicked off the two-day international conference to discuss Qatar’s experience in the organization of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The conference aims to add a country-specific focus to the current more general debate and multidisciplinary studies about the phenomenon of football in Middle Eastern societies, and the Gulf region in particular. As opposed to most events discussing the World Cup, the conference will not be limited to the focus on technical/organisational dimensions or sports diplomacy only.
The Conference’s main priority is to trigger comprehensive debates on the different social, political, economic and cultural aspects of the World Cup and its impacts on the hosting country, the Gulf Region, Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) region and the world. The history of Qatar’s choice to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022 will be one of the conference’s main topics. It will also cover the many domestic issues that the FIFA World Cup 2022 host nation faced and how those issues were resolved.
In his speech on the occasion, Dr. Hassan bin Rashid Al Derham, President of Qatar University, noted the significance of the conference as it comes two months before the World Cup begins. According to Dr. Al Derham, the World Cup marks a turning point in the history of the region. However, the World Cup serves as a symbol of the region’s desire for peace and stability, as well as the aspirations of its citizens to improve the common future of humanity. Hosting the World Cup’s is merely another proof that this region can serve as a university for all countries that are passionate about football and can accept them all.
The university president emphasised that the purpose of this conference was to highlight the significance of academic and research work in monitoring and following up on the political, economic, and social events in the Gulf region, specifically, and what is happening throughout the world and is relevant to the Gulf region.
Professor Mahjoob Zweiri, the Director of Gulf Studies Centre said, “This conference is an academic platform to discuss all matters related to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the aim is to publish an edited volume that can be beneficial to the future generation.”
This annual international conference will bring together more than 20 scholars, practitioners and policy influencers from a wide range of disciplines to engage in what is expected to be a nuanced debate on the multifaceted impacts of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on Qatari society and the region as a whole. The second day of the event will discuss the economic and social impact of the World Cup, sports diplomacy and other important topics.
