Doha, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Qatar is located in the Gulf desert region of the Middle East, officially became a sovereign independent country in 1971, with a land area similar to that of Tianjin, with a population of 3 million, of which only 15 percent are its citizens, and the rest are foreign residents. After 30 years of hard work, Qatar, which sits on a huge natural gas field, has successfully built itself into a global "sports capital", gaining far more popularity and influence than its own volume.
Sport expands its impact
In the early 90s of the last century, Qatar has received a lot of financial income from oil and gas resources, but the country's visibility and influence in the international community are very lacking. Qatar is just a little-known "small young country", both in terms of history and size. As a result, expanding the country's visibility and influence has become a top priority for Qatar's decision-makers.
Sports became the entry point. Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, then secretary-general of the Qatar Olympic Committee and a member of the ruling royal family, publicly stated: "The development of sports is a national policy aimed at expanding Qatar's international visibility. ”
In the 90s of the last century, Doha, the capital of Qatar, had a population of only 250,000, but it had built six stadiums, including the Khalifa International Stadium, which can accommodate 40,000 people, and was actively planning to build other stadiums and bid for various international events.
Looking back, Qatar's sports development strategy has been consistent and has paid off. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Qatar has successfully hosted the 2006 Asian Games, the 2011 Men's Asian Cup, the 2019 World Athletics Championships, and the 2022 Men's World Cup. The World Cup is traditionally held from July to August, but this is the hottest season in Qatar, reaching 50 degrees Celsius, and it is not practical to hold outdoor events, so it was changed to November of that year, making the World Cup in Qatar the first World Cup to be held in the northern hemisphere winter.
After the successful hosting of the World Cup, Qatar will once again host the men's Asian Cup in early 2024. Jassim Abdulaziz Jassim, CEO of the Qatar Asian Cup Organizing Committee, said bluntly in an interview with the media that Qatar has become the world's "sports capital" because Qatar has rich experience in hosting competitions and first-class infrastructure. Qatari officials have publicly stated that the next goal will be the 2036 Olympic Games.
Strategy drives development
Qatar's passion for sport begins at the top. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the father of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the current emir (head of state), is an avid sports enthusiast. Since the 90s of the last century, it is under the leadership of Hamad that Qatar has vigorously developed sports as a long-term national strategy, and has spared no expense in building infrastructure.
Since 2012, Qatar has celebrated the National Sports Day on the second Tuesday of February every year in order to make the people pay attention to sports. After Sheikh Tamim succeeded to the throne in 2013, he also had a special interest in the development of sports in the country, and continued to implement this major strategy, even going to the battlefield to promote the "National Sports Day" and watch various events live.
With the concerted efforts of the whole country and the strong financial support, Qatar's sports avenue is getting wider and wider, and it has gained the coveted international popularity and influence, especially during the 2022 World Cup, the world's eyes are focused on Qatar, making its "exposure" reach its peak.
Qatar's vigorous development of sports has two main characteristics: one is the national effort, government leadership and investment, and the other is a clear goal, and the continuous commitment to expand Qatar's international influence and let the world know and recognize Qatar.
One of the things that Qatari people often say to reporters is that it is better to be famous because of sports than because of war. As Qatar Tourism Chairman Saad bin Ali Halji said, hosting a major event like the World Cup has changed the perception of the Gulf countries in the Middle East and will allow more people to try to understand the culture here.
Indeed, despite chronic tensions in the Middle East and recent conflicts, Qatar's tourism industry has been booming since the World Cup. According to the data released by Qatar Tourism, thanks to the World Cup effect, the number of tourists entering Qatar in 2023 will exceed 4 million, a new high in the past five years, and Qatar has also become an important tourist destination in the world.
Layout of global industries
Qatar doesn't stop at hosting its own sporting events, it also actively deploys the global sports industry. Some prominent examples include: in 2011, the Qatari government spent $130 million to acquire Paris Saint-Germain Football Club through Qatar Sports Investments, a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority, and continued to inject huge amounts of cash to build the "Grand Paris" from a mid-table team to the hegemony of Ligue 1, attracting many superstars including Kylian Mbappe to join.
In recent years, Qatar has seen an expansion of its investment in global sports, from Europe to the United States, from football to basketball. According to media reports, the Qatar Investment Authority has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to buy shares in various clubs of the US NBA and the National Hockey League (NHL), which is believed to be the first time that the Qatari government has invested in professional sports in the United States. Qatar is also actively seeking to invest in English Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Founded in 2005, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) currently has $500 billion in assets, ranking ninth among the world's sovereign wealth funds. According to Qatar Investment Authority CEO Mansour Ibrahim Mahmoud, Qatar's investment in the global sports industry is a business decision "because people are interested in sports".
Investing in sports has helped Qatar diversify its assets and, more importantly, significantly enhance the Gulf state's international presence, which has been a powerful tool for public diplomacy in promoting Qatar's national image.
Obstacles remain
Qatar's vigorous development of sports has also faced skepticism and even opposition within the country. For example, many stadiums built by Qatar to host the World Cup are basically idle for a long time after the game and are not open to the public on a daily basis, resulting in a waste of resources. How to effectively use the infrastructure after the tournament is an international problem, and it is clear that Qatar has not done better.
Qatar's sporting path has also been disrupted by political factors. For example, if an international event is held, it is impossible to refuse entry to the Israeli delegation, and Qatar has not established diplomatic relations with Israel, and the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict has intensified the contradictions between Arab countries and Israel.
Due to various reasons such as Qatar's small population and the influence of traditional concepts, the mass base of some sports in Qatar is very weak, and the related infrastructure is not satisfactory. For example, the main swimming hall where Qatar will host the World Swimming Championships in early 2024 is temporarily rebuilt by other venues, and the standard is not high, and the attendance rate during the event is also pitifully low. Due to the huge differences between Qatar and the West in terms of national systems and ideologies, some Western countries are also wary of Qatar's heavy investment in the development of sports. If Qatar wants to host the Olympics, it has a lot of problems to solve.