Qatar Under Fire Regarding 2022 World Cup After Athletics Test Run
6th October 2019
Perhaps the most stinging off-track criticism of the 10-day event which concludes Sunday was sparked by the spectacle of a near-empty stadium during the opening days, raising fears for attendances in 2022
- Despite triumphs on the track, Qatar has come under fire for its hosting of the World Athletics Championships with questions raised over Doha's ability to deliver the football World Cup successfully in three years
- Crowds at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 2004 Games in Athens also failed to meet organisers' expectations despite ambitious stadium construction, he noted.
- International Association of Athletics Federations chief Sebastian Coe has come under fire for the dismal crowds that turned out in Doha to watch blue-riband events including the men's and women's 100 metres
DOHA, Qatar- Despite
triumphs on the track, Qatar has come under fire for its hosting of the World
Athletics Championships with questions raised over Doha's ability to deliver
the football World Cup successfully in three years' time.
Perhaps the most stinging off-track criticism of the 10-day
event which concludes Sunday was sparked by the spectacle of a near-empty
stadium during the opening days, raising fears for attendances in 2022.
"It's a classic mega-event failing, believing that 'if
you build it, fans will come'," said Simon Chadwick, professor of sports
enterprise at Britain's Salford University.
Crowds at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 2004 Games in
Athens also failed to meet organisers' expectations despite ambitious stadium
construction, he noted.
International Association of Athletics Federations chief
Sebastian Coe has come under fire for the dismal crowds that turned out in Doha
to watch blue-riband events including the men's and women's 100 metres.
"The crowd is an easier subject to talk about rather
than some of the more insightful stuff around the events," said Coe, who
attacked what he viewed as negative media coverage.
Spectator numbers improved as the week wore on after at
least one large state-funded organisation offered staff free tickets for the
Khalifa International Stadium.
"It totally felt different, there was a lot of
energy," said former 1,500m world champion Jenny Simpson on Thursday after
the American won her heat.
- 'Reasons to be there' -
Despite Western diplomats warning Qatar would be
"judged harshly" for missteps during the athletics, Chadwick said
Doha would be unfazed by criticism of meagre crowds.
The country instead sees the Championships and World Cup as
a means of bolstering security, he said.
"Even if nobody turned up to watch the athletics, it
doesn't matter. Qatar has mitigated the threats it faces by making itself
visible, relevant and important," said Chadwick.
Qatar is embroiled in a bitter two-year dispute with Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates which accuse Doha of
backing Iran and radical Islamists.
They have cut direct transport links, closed airspace to
Qatari aircraft and restricted their citizens from visiting over the claims,
which Doha denies.
By hosting such events, Qatar "has a degree of
protection against some of the threats," Chadwick said, adding that the
2015 World Handball Championship and the 2016 cycling Road World Championships
were also poorly attended.
FIFA would now seek clarity about Doha's ticketing strategy
following the sight of a near-empty stadium on some days at the athletics, he
added.
"People want to know -- is there going to be somewhere
nice to stay, can they buy a beer?" Chadwick said.
"What kind of event ecosystem are they constructing
around that ticketing strategy? You've got to give people reasons to be
there."
Qatar World Cup organisers declined to comment on the
ticketing challenges at the athletiics but sought to head off fears around the
World Cup, including alcohol prices in the conservative Gulf monarchy.
Officials also sought to reassure LGBT fans their safety
would be assured as they showed off rapidly evolving World Cup infrastructure
to visiting media ahead of the athletics.
- 'Qatar no more'? -
Another recurring issue was the heat in the road races, with
some competitors berating organisers for the sweltering temperatures and
humidity during the marathons and race walks that were held outside the
air-conditioned stadium.
Canada's Lyndsay Tessier, who placed ninth after 28 of her
68 rivals dropped out of the women's marathon, told AFP it was "really
scary and intimidating and daunting" seeing competitors collapse.
But World Cup organisers insisted to visiting media that
2022 will not be dogged by high temperatures as it will be staged in the winter
months and played in air-conditioned stadiums.
Championships spectators faced grim traffic jams across Doha
with many key roads and junctions undergoing construction, although competitors
and VIPs received police escorts.
Congestion surged when the Al-Sadd football team hosted
Saudi outfit Al-Hilal at home on Tuesday, just minutes away from the Khalifa
Stadium. It also highlighted that soccer is more popular than athletics among
Qataris, despite the fact that thousands of locals packed the stadium to see
home hero Mutaz Essa Barshim retain his high jump title on Friday.
Pressure is also mounting on the authorities to open all 37
metro stations, of which only 13 are currently operational, by the promised New
Year deadline.
Chadwick said Qatar was "skating on thin ice"
following the challenges of the World Championships.
"They have to get the World Cup right otherwise, after
2022, there's going to be a question about what happens next," he said.
"If sports governing bodies walk away saying 'Qatar no
more', then that does expose Qatar again to geo-political vulnerability."