Lusail Multipurpose Hall has been at the heart of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship.

By Sports Reporter/Doha

A delegation from the 2017 Men’s Handball World Championship visited the Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Qatar, to view the standards of organisation and facilities needed for the next Men’s Handball World Championship, which takes place in 2017 in France.
The team, which included members of the France 2017 Committee — general manager Edouard Donnelly, Sports and Competition manager Olivier Krumbholz, Marketing and Communication head David Donnelly, Operations head Adrien Guy, Planning and Coordination head Jad Zoghbi — visited the newly-built Lusail Multipurpose Hall to see the services and equipment available to players and spectators, as France begins preparations to host the next championships.
Exploring the stadium, facilities and surrounding areas, the delegation was offered a behind-the-scenes VIP tour to review the operations and plans implemented daily and to show the in-depth workings of the 15,300 spectator building that has been at the heart of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship.
The Lusail Multipurpose Hall is one of the most “spectator-friendly” venues in the world and is surrounded by a massive landscape of 350,000 square metres, decorated with walking/jogging and bicycling tracks, an outdoor covered gym, as well as covered and uncovered kids playgrounds. The Lusail Multipurpose Hall has demonstrated not only the future capacity needed for the growing sport, but the resource that a country can leave behind for its people.
The tour provided a full overview of the world-class venue, as well as the departments required to host the sporting mega-event. Starting at the Main Operations Centre, the visitors were taken through the different zones of the venue and had the opportunity to learn about the processes that have made this year’s Championship such a success.
After learning about the work of the Main Operations Centre, which operates as a central management hub to follow-up on the daily processes and address urgent matters that need to be solved by a team that includes representatives from the different committees, they were taken through the common and main spectator areas which have hosted thousands of fans during the event.
They also checked all the available services and activities prepared for Handball fans during the Championship. The delegation was then taken to the Main Media Centre (MMC) where media from around the world operate and they explored all the facilities provided for their work, including the Media Lounge, Services Centre, Press Conference Room, Mixed Zone, Studios, Media tribune and the dedicated area for broadcasting, which have enabled the matches to be broadcast and featured in news coverage around the world.
The visiting delegates expressed their admiration of the design of the venue facilities and the high level of services and they praised the efforts to build this state-of-the-art venue within 24 months, as they were particularly impressed by Lusail Multipurpose Hall’s VIP areas.
The delegation also reviewed the players’ facilities and checked the way the venue has been sectionalised and how the different areas and facilities are connected, which facilitate smooth operations to achieve the goals and plans set for the Handball Championship to be a unique experience for all. In addition, they were able to speak with the venue operations manager, who explained how the flow of visitors and traffic has been managed during the busy Championship.
As part of the tour, the France 2017 Committee also visited the Accreditation Centre to gain an understanding of the accreditation process. At the end of the tour, the France 2017 Committee thanked and congratulated the Qatar 2015 Organising Committee for its achievements.


 


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