Falah al-Dosari, general director of Project Stadia at Interpol, has stressed that State of Qatar aims to organise a unique World Cup edition while leaving a lasting legacy for law enforcement agencies all over the world.
Speaking during the opening session of the first Major Event Safety and Security Conference, al-Dosari said that Interpol is working with Qatar to provide the best policing practices and arrangements for the 2022 FIFA Qatar so as to leave a lasting legacy for world law enforcement agencies.
Qatar is keen to show the 2022 World Cup in the best possible image, he said, noting that the showpiece is a unique opportunity for the country to showcase its abilities at the international stage.
He stressed the close co-operation between Qatar and Interpol, highlighting Qatar's hosting of the Interpol general assembly in 2010, indicating the importance of this co-operation in the framework of Qatar's preparations for the 2022 World Cup.
Al-Dosari noted that this partnership with Qatar aims to develop capabilities in order to support Interpol's 192 member states in hosting major sports events, adding that this partnership resulted in the establishment of Project Stadia in 2012.
“Project Stadia has achieved a lot since it started, including collecting data from major sporting events around the world to be available to all member states to benefit from then when organising major sporting events,” he said, adding that the project has received considerable support from Brazil and learned from its experience in organising the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
He also noted that Qatar had the opportunity to review the security arrangements for events in Qatar when it hosted the 2015 World Handball Championships.
Al-Dosari said that security challenges that accompany major events such as the World Cup are various and diverse, including cybersecurity, organised and emerging crime, and terrorism, adding that the international community must address these challenges in order to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the events.
These challenges, he added, can be devastating for many countries and constitute a major obstacle to hosting major events because of the costs of security and the expenses that host countries shoulder.
He stressed that Interpol always stands with countries that have ambitions to host major events in order to help them overcome challenges.