Aymen Aiblu, a Libyan architect presently studying Islamic Art, Architecture, and Urbanism at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, feels a sense of pride when thinking that he volunteered for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as a commentary assistant at Al Bayt Stadium. “As an intern for the World Cup, I worked with the Host Broadcast Service (HBS), the primary media platform for filming, editing, and broadcasting the tournament, as well as distributing it to TV and radio channels around the world. My responsibility was to assist the match commentators and to be present inside the stadium during the matches,” he explained.
Aiblu said that prior to match days, he prepared the seats of each channel by assigning them a number to make tracking easier. “When the commentator arrived, precisely 90 minutes before the matches kicked off, we began by doing voice tests with the team to ensure they did not encounter any problems while commentating during the match. If the commentator requested a line-up sheet, we provided it 30 minutes before the match kicked off via a barcode or a hard copy. FIFA volunteers would normally do that, but we often assisted them as well,” he explained.
Aiblu narrated that he had to take the Metro up to the Ezdan Hotel in West Bay, where the HBS team was located, and then take the shuttle up to the stadium. “Later, on non-match days, the FIFA team gradually began to supply us with shuttles from QNCC to the stadium, while on match days, there was a shuttle every 15 minutes,” he noted.
“I watched the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 opening ceremony at Al Bayt Stadium, and I also loved watching some of the matches that took place there, such as Germany versus Spain. The stadium also hosted matches from the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals. As a football enthusiast, I was thrilled to join the HBS team as an intern and be a part of the fantastic FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 event, which might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he added.