Qatari Newspapers Editorials

Doha, December 22 (QNA) - Qatari newspapers highlighted in their editorials on Thursday a number of topics related to the FIFA World Qatar 2022, noting the continued acclaim of the great success the State has achieved in organizing an exceptional, historic and unprecedent World Cup. The Qatari dailies underlined that Qatar World Cup left behind a legacy that not only proves Qatar's competence in organizing major sports tournaments and its enormous infrastructure that raised it to the ranks of the most developed countries in the world, but also demonstrates the deep impact of the tournament in bringing people together, promoting coexistence, highlighting many commonalities between people, and spreading tolerance, peace and joint cooperation. The newspapers also highlighted the great strides Qatar has taken in the field of sustainable transport, which reflects its great aspirations in the field of transition to clean and renewable energy, noting that Qatar's winning of hosting the World Cup has contributed significantly to accelerating the pace of sustainable development processes in the country. Al-Watan said that tributes continue to pour in for Qatar's dazzling organization of an exceptional World Cup still continues, four days after the end of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The paper noted that the Cabinet praised in its weekly meeting chaired by HE Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani yesterday the resounding success achieved in hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, thanks to the Almighty God, and HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's wise directives, insightful vision and careful follow-up to all preparation phases of the tournament, since the State of Qatar won the World Cup bid, and it continued as of the kick-off on Nov. 20 until its completion on Dec. 20. The Cabinet also congratulated the honorable Qatari people on this historic achievement, which will remain an honorable legacy for future generations, and a source of pride for Arabs, with its reflections of Arab originality, culture and values to the world. It hailed the appreciated efforts of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the Security and Safety Operations Committee of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the Tournament Security Force, expressing deep thanks and appreciation to all ministries, institutions, state agencies and the private sector, and to everyone who contributed to achieving this exceptional success of the tournament in terms of planning, organization, securing and providing all the factors of success and means of enjoyment, impressiveness and comfort for the guests, who flocked to the State of Qatar from worldwide, making the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 the most successful and best tournament in the World Cup history, Al-Watan added. Under the headline "World Cup Legacy", Qatari daily Al-Sharq said that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has ended, but the echo of this exceptional edition of the World Cup and its legacy will remain because of the success achieved by the State of Qatar and the impact it made in the world. The paper noted that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani continues to receive cables of congratulations on the success of Qatar World Cup from Their Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies leaders and heads of brotherly and friendly states and governments; and that the World Cup and the State of Qatar are still at the center of interest of global media and social media outlets. Al-Sharq underlined that the State of Qatar, thanks to the World Cup and its great interest in sports, has strengthened its status in the world; adding that Qatar's remarkable achievements in sports diplomacy have been added to the many other forms of soft power it enjoys. The paper praised Qatar's role as a peacemaker and a leading country in preventive and mediation diplomacy, noting the many successes the State has achieved in this field and its outstanding contributions to efforts of achieving security and stability at the regional and international levels, as well as its position as a major force with regard to gas diplomacy and its great influence in securing energy supplies around the world, in addition to other forms of its soft power, whether in the field of media or humanitarian aid. Al-Sharq underlined Qatar World Cup left behind a legacy that not only proves Qatar's competence in organizing major sports tournaments and its enormous infrastructure that raised it to the ranks of the most developed countries in the world, but also demonstrates the deep impact of the tournament in bringing people together, promoting coexistence, highlighting many commonalities between people, and spreading tolerance, peace and joint cooperation, as well as changing many of the ideas and stereotypes about the region and providing people of the world with the opportunity to learn about the richness and authenticity of the Arab culture and values. In its editorial, Al-Raya newspaper said that when talking about the impressive Qatari success in organizing the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, we see that integration among all sectors during the tournament had a direct impact on the way Qatar 2022 turned out. In this regard, the newspaper stressed that Qatar, which had prepared well for the tournament set out to make plans and preparations to successfully host the World Cup, noting that the transport sector in the State of Qatar contributed greatly, especially the Doha Metro and other means of transportation that were able to accommodate World Cup fans. It added that the Qatari professionalism in dealing with World Cup guests will remain the talk of the world, because Qatar fulfilled its promise and provided a modern, advanced and free means of transportation for the fans throughout the tournament, which enabled many fans to attend more than one match per day. The daily rate recorded for metro users reached 600,000 passengers, while 27,000 passengers boarded the tram, it said, adding that the number of metro trips during the tournament reached 79,000 trips, covering a distance of 1.5km. Al-Raya said that these numbers confirm that the transport sector in the State of Qatar has made great contributions to make the World Cup experience easy, simple and exceptional for fans. The newspaper concluded by saying that Qatar has made great strides in the field of sustainable transport, which reflects the great aspirations in the field of transition to clean and renewable energy, adding that Qatar winning the rights to host the World Cup has greatly contributed to accelerating the pace of sustainable development in the country, and the Doha Metro is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Qatar, aiming to provide sustainable transportation technology in the country. Meanwhile, the Peninsula newspaper said that environmental sustainability has been at the center of Qatar’s development plans including the Qatar National Vision 2030 and was also a key point in the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It said that Qatar had set an ambitious target of delivering a carbon-neutral tournament, adding that the World Cup sustainability plans included building water and energy-efficient stadiums and other infrastructure using recycled materials while also minimizing the impact on nature from construction work. It noted that while Qatar built eye-catching mega stadiums, some from scratch, it also created huge green spaces planting tens of thousands of plants and shrubs around these arenas, adding that the Ministry of Municipality had launched an ambition plan to recycle or reuse all the waste generated at World Cup venues, as part of the country’s plans to host a carbon-neutral World Cup. It concluded its editorial by pointing out that Qatar’s efforts to host a carbon-neutral World Cup will go a long way in aiding global efforts to address climate change, adding that Qatar 2022 has also set a high bar for future sporting events on the environmental front. (QNA)