Shura Council briefed on latest preparations for World Cup '22

* SC's efforts in preparing for tournament lauded * Members condemn malicious media attacks against Qatar aimed at undermining eligibility of country as World Cup host

The Shura Council held Monday its weekly session at Tamim bin Hamad Hall, chaired by its Speaker HE Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanem. The Council hosted HE Secretary-General at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Hassan al-Thawadi and Chairman of the Operations Office at the SC Eng Yasser Abdullah al-Jamal to brief the members on developments of preparations to host the World Cup.HE al-Ghanem praised the SC's efforts in preparing for the tournament over the past 12 years, whether in terms of infrastructure or logistics, adding that these preparations continue co-operation with many international organisations despite the negative campaign facing the country from official and non-official bodies.He added that the attacks rely on misinformation rather than facts, noting that these claims have already been addressed by many international organisations before.He said that some of those who made these negative remarks expressed regret after visiting Qatar, which showed the accusations were false.HE the Deputy Speaker Dr Hamda bint Hassan al-Sulaiti praised the SC officials for their efforts, and in particular the Generation Amazing programme that aimed to empower youth in Qatar and abroad to change their society through football. She also highlighted the contribution of the sustainability programme for its developmental impact. Both al-Thawadi and al-Jamal gave a presentation on the country's preparations for the event, which included the most prominent projects that were completed during the event.Al-Thawadi reviewed the efforts made by the State during 12 years of hard work towards achieving comprehensive development, noting that the committee considers the legacy a priority in all the plans it made, in order to ensure the tournament brings benefits in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. The committee has a plan in place to transform many of the projects into social and sports hubs, designed in co-ordination with the surrounding areas. He noted that the competition played a role in speeding up the rate of completing major projects that serve the country.He said that the competition helped national cadres gain valuable experience that could help the country, in addition to the role the tournament will play in promoting Qatar's culture globally, stressing that it was something the committee and its partners are keen on. Al-Jamal reviewed the committee's efforts to host the World Cup.He noted that Qatar was the first country to fully build the competition's stadium infrastructure a full year before the start of the competition. He noted that all 41 training fields were concluded in 2019.Regarding transport, he highlighted the completion of the latest expansion of Hamad International Airport, in addition to bringing Doha International Airport online.He said that there are 750 electric buses, out of the 3,000 dedicated to transporting fans. He also said that the Metro project was completed in 2019 and was used in a number of sporting events. He also said that the Metro transported a record number of passengers, in addition to the committee's applications to inform the public on all the relevant transport information.He said that World Cup ticket sales exceeded 3mn tickets. The two officials also took questions from Shura Council members, that dealt with hosting the competition, they included the importance of maintaining national identity and following Islamic teachings in line with the Constitution. The members also condemned the malicious media attacks against Qatar aimed at undermining the eligibility of the country as a World Cup host, stressing that these campaigns reflect hateful racism that has nothing to do with sports, and reveal the double standards of the parties behind these attacks.Al-Thawadi, for his part, reiterated the committee's commitment to the Qatari culture inspired from Islam in line with the Constitution and laws. With regard to the attacks and malicious campaigns against Qatar, al-Thawadi stressed that the committee, since its establishment, has made great efforts to respond to all the accusations against Qatar, and was able to demonstrate that these accusations were not based on objective facts.He said that the committee, in co-operation with different bodies in the State, to engage positively with international organisations and discuss their perspective, which ended up with these organisations defending Qatar rather than criticise the country. He noted, however, that some Western media outlets have not been fairly reporting, adding it's something that leads to a feeling that bad intentions towards Qatar are part of the motive.HE the Speaker and members thanked al-Thawadi and al-Jamal for attending as representatives of the SC, expressing appreciation for the information they provided and for taking questions from the members. Afterwards, the Council reviewed a draft law amending some provisions of Law No 6 of 2014 regulating real estate development, which was referred to the Council by the government. The Council decided to refer it to the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee for further examination and to report on it.The Council also reviewed the draft state general budget for fiscal 2023, a draft law approving the state's general budget, and those referred to the Council by the esteemed government, and decided to refer the two mentioned projects to the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee for study and report on them to the council.HE the Secretary-General of the Shura Council Dr Ahmed bin Nasser Ibrahim al-Fadala read out the meeting's agenda, and the Council then ratified the minutes of the previous meeting. This week's meeting also saw the attendance of law and international students from Qatar University, Hamad bin Khalifa University, and Georgetown University. (QNA)