PICTURES: Thajudheen
The world continues to appreciate, admire and be fascinated at Qatar’s success in presenting a unique and exceptional edition of the FIFA World Cup, with a near-total media consensus that Qatar was up to the challenge of achieving a dazzling, unprecedented global tournament.
International journalists, media professionals and politicians unanimously agreed that Qatar has achieved distinction with the management of the FIFA World Cup, with exceptional organisation at all levels, from the moment the country won the honour of hosting the tournament in 2010, and despite critics who sought to undermine its efforts and right to host the event.
The participation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in the opening ceremony, and his presence in some matches were good material for the media and websites, some of which noted that he is the real star of the sporting event.
Members of the media underscored in statements to the Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the Qatar World Cup is one of the best in terms of organisation, and praised the high level of services, especially those provided to media professionals and various media outlets in the media centres spread in various stadiums, and the ease of movement by providing convenient transportation between media centres, stadiums and other facilities.
French *L'Equipe newspaper journalist Hugo Guillemet, who has covered previous editions of the World Cup, said that Qatar's World Cup organisation is the best he has ever seen.
He added that the Qatar 2022 stadiums are stunning and unique, the infrastructure in Qatar is excellent, and that the media centres and teams' training pitches are spectacular and accessible.
Guillemet said that his first visit to Doha had been fantastic, and enabled him to explore a beautiful, well-organised, and safe country.
He also lauded the meticulously clean streets, and the must-visit facilities and historical attractions.
Fellow *L'Equipe journalist Anthony Clement said that he had noticed the ease of mobility on its roads.
He found no traffic congestion on the streets, with everything going well, contrary to what he expected before reaching Qatar.
“We heard that one country could not host the World Cup with the attendance of millions of fans,” Clement said. “It must witness massive traffic congestion, and things would be complicated ... all that proved wrong.”
Swiss *Tribune de Geneve newspaper journalist Daniel Visentini also expressed admiration for Qatar's organisation of the World Cup.
“Qatar is a small country, but huge with its facilities, landmarks, and dazzling compact unique stadiums,” he said.
Paul Garliss, a British tourism expert who runs a specialised tourism agencies, said that as the final whistle of the World Cup approached, Qatar emerged victorious in its bet on the success of the tournament, despite all the negativity that was reported in the Western media.
During an interview with PR Week blog, he said that the world will praise this World Cup, and may even describe it as the best version in the history of the World Cup tournaments, not least because there were no violent incidents or mass riots.
Not only did the international media praise Qatar's organisational, preparatory and security success, also highlighted were the cultural and religious aspects related to tolerance and religious coexistence.
Sadat Anwar, a Canadian volunteer at the Qatar Guests Centre, said: "There are a large number of visitors interested in this aspect, and this is what we expected and what we hoped.”
“Many fans take a break from football and from watching matches to learn about aspects of Qatari culture,” he said. "We had many visitors here at the the Katara Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque).”
“People are really interested in seeing the architecture, appreciating the beauty of the mosque, and following the worshipers as they perform one of the five daily prayers,” Anwar added.
The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), which witnessed a large influx of visitors and tourists, also won the admiration of the international media.
A report by the Colombian Blu Radio stated that modernity, development and traditions are all valid descriptions of Qatar, which was able, thanks to the discovery of oil and gas reserves, to develop and progress.
The report cited an exhibition at the NMoQ, which takes visitors on a journey through the history of the country, which was able to become independent and develop as a modern and developed country.
Lebanese journalist Imad Khayat said on *The World This Week programme, broadcast by France 24, that Qatar has succeeded in proving that it can host a major football event such as the World Cup, which in turn shows that the country, and by extension the Arab World, is capable of organising such events.
Carlos Morales, an Ecuadorian journalist at Caravana radio, said that the Qatar 2022 is one of the best tournaments he has followed, if not the best.
He said that the atmosphere of the whole tournament is wonderful, the stadiums and facilities are at the peak of splendor, and the people in Qatar are friendly and hospitable to visitors.
Guinean journalist Ibrahima Tano Diallo from Guinean News expressed his admiration for Qatar’s organisation of the tournament.
He said that he found the atmosphere at the matches amazing, and the organisation at a high level.
Chinese journalist Yin Heng Xia, editor at the Tencent online platform, said that she was impressed by what she saw.
She said that she has been following Qatar's developments since she came for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, and found that many changes have taken place since her previous visit.
The journalist cited in particular the wonderful infrastructure, the Doha Metro, the wonderful new landscapes, and the new streets.
Madwil Alam from Bangladesh, editor of the website and radio Amader Shomoy, lauded the wonderful organisation, excellent services and infrastructure.
