Qatar Olympic and Sport Museum to be completed in 2014

Qatar Olympic and Sport Museum to be completed in 2014

Anti-doping Laboratory Qatar (ADlQ) will open in 2015

Doha: Qatar Olympic and Sport Museum built inside the Khalifa Stadium as part of its refurbishment will be completed in 2014 while the Anti-doping Laboratory Qatar (ADlQ) will open will open a year latter informed Abdulla Al Mulla,  the official spokesman of the Arab Games 2011 and Media & Broadcasting Director.

 “The 10,000 m2 Anti-doping Laboratory Qatar will cater to athletes throughout the Gulf region and the whole West Asia,” said Mulla.

The Arab Games Organising Committee (AGOC) official was speaking on the topic ‘the Qatar Sports Vision’ during the first day of the two-day IAAF media seminar ‘Sports in Qatar and the Coverage of Athletics’ at the Arab Games Doha 2011.

Mulla said  Qatar’s successful track record of hosting major sporting events has been able to draw the attention of the entire sporting world and the ‘trust and solid foundation’  has  opened ways to  the oil-rich country earning the right to host the FIFA world Cup 2022 and many high profile sporting events.

The dreams of Qatar and the people of the Middle East will be fulfilled if Qatar wins the right to host the Olympics, said Mulla.

 “The trust (we have got) and the solid foundation we have laid by hosting big events has helped us to win rights to some of the major sporting events. Since 2004, Qatar has hosted a significant number of major sporting events becoming a tested and trusted sport event organizer. We have won rights to hosts the Asian Shooting championship 2012, Handball World Championships 2015 and of course the FIFA World Cup 2022. Now, we aim to achieve our goal and the people of the Middle East and that is to host the Olympics in 2020.”

Mulla said Qatar is using sports as a medium to reach people around the world, a vision he said which is part of the government policy to promote Qatar as an ultimate world’s top sports destination.

“The government headed by the Emir of Qatar  H  H  Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani  and Qatar Olympic Committee Chairman H H the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani  has a wide vision for sports which first materialized with the state of the art facilities like the Aspire Academy.

“Qatar has been already evolved as one of the most popular destinations for hosting sporting events. Under the auspices and guidance of the Qatar Olympic Committee, world-class facilities and services, sporting venues, innovative infrastructure, accommodation facilities, hospitality packages, media development programs and well experienced international and local staff, are preparing the country to reach its goal. The ultimate objective of every sporting event is to create value across economic, social and environmental factors in each host city or nation,” he said.

 “The Qatar National Vision for 2030 is a national plan that sees sport as a fundamental pillar of society and sport tourism in Qatar owes a great deal to the legacy of the events hosted so far which created a discernable change in the way Qatar is perceived in the sport world,” Mulla said.

He said mega sporting events held in the past in Qatar where sporting legends took part have had been able to get Qatar a lot of mileage in the press.

“When Boris Becker was here somewhere here in the 90’s to take part in the teens tournament, he was followed by a large content of journalists and his pictures riding the camel in Arabian dress were seen the next day in newspapers and  on television all around the world. That was the best publicity for Qatar,” he said.

The hosting of the sporting events has also turned out to be ‘real investment for human resources’ and he gave his own example that he has learnt many a new things during the hosting of events.

“Some of the people responsible for hosting of events during the Asian Games 2006 are now part of the government or  running their own companies. so they have benefitted from the sporting experience. We also have build a strong  base of volunteers, both locals and expatiates,” he added.

Qatar is also planning to create a rail network ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Plans include a metro project with total length of 340kms. The estimated completion date for the project is 2021.