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Doha: The lessons behind the success of Qatar in making the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 accessible for persons with disabilities are to be shared and applied during the next tournament in 2026.
Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup is playing a transformative role in making the country more accessible for disabled people and Qatar will be sharing this knowledge with officials from the FIFA 2026 World Cup in the Americas.
“In terms of for the next tournament that will be in North America, US, Canada and Mexico, there are a number of lessons I think, that will go forward that are really important,” said Accessibility and Inclusivity Strategist at Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Mark Dyer.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Dyer said that the accessibility facilities made inside, and outside stadiums and the numbers of seats allocated for fans with disabilities are the main lessons to be taken forward during the next tournament.
“Within the stadium environment there are key things we have learnt… it talks a lot about sensory rooms is one aspect, whether it’s an autistic adult or autistic child, but spaces that make them comfortable. The other areas are things like adult changing facilities for people with disabilities, which every single stadium has. That is a benchmark that FIFA can look to take forward to the next tournament as well,” said Dyer.
Across the eight World Cup stadiums in Qatar 1% of all fixed seats must be aisle seats with no armrest or with a removable or folding armrest to accommodate people with a reduced mobility.
“So, 1% accessible seats in every single stadium are a huge number,” said Dyer. “I think in terms of seating, there’s never been so much seating for stadiums across any other tournament of this size or scale,” he added.
Dyer said that audio-descriptive commentary and accessibility volunteers are among several other elements which are benefitting fans.
“So that’s (facilities within stadiums) one thing that FIFA can adopt very directly in a stadium in a particular city. This is what we now know works, and we undoubtedly will have conversations saying this is our benchmark today,” said Dyer.
To mention, in a letter of intent signed during the fifth US- Qatar Strategic Dialogue both parties announced their intention to exchange World Cup knowledge and draw conclusions and build on the success of Qatar in making the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 accessible for persons with disabilities and apply the learned lessons in future tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026 that will be held in the US, and find places that allow more inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities.
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup which is the co-host along with Canada and Mexico, the lessons from Qatar can be taken but may need to change things according to the needs of the tournament.
“There will be a tournament in another four years’ time. What we have implemented today is what we have learnt by planning over the last ten years,” he said adding that areas such as the number of fans, and the nature of challenges could be facts to be considered in the next tournament.
