Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy Marks International Volunteers Day

Doha, December 06 (QNA) - The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), the body responsible for delivering the infrastructure required to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, organized an event to celebrate the SC's volunteers at Khalifa International Stadium, in tandem with the International Volunteers Day, which is marked on December 5, each year. The event was attended by HE Secretary General of the SC Hassan Al Thawadi, CEO of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Nasser Al Khater, and Workforce and Volunteer Director in the Local Organizing Committee of the Qatar World Cup Rasha Al Qarni, along with the SC's ambassadors Khalid Salman, Adel Khamis, and Mohammed Saadoun Al Kuwari. Al Thawadi said that volunteering is a true reflection of the vision set by the SC to develop a culture of giving and serving the nation, praising the active role of the SC's volunteers who play a key role in Qatar's efforts to host an exceptional edition of the FIFA World Cup after less than two years from now. In his welcoming speech, Al Thawadi said that history will remember the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the first edition to be held in the Middle East and the Arab world, as one of the best tournaments ever thanks to the volunteers' efforts over the past ten years and what they will present in the future. In this event, he added, the SC celebrates the International Volunteers Day and sees it as an opportunity to celebrate the efforts of the volunteers, adding every success we have achieved together during previous sporting tournaments is a direct result of the time and efforts provided by the volunteers. The organization of the event, in which 600 volunteers representing 52 countries participated, came within the framework of the SC's keenness to communicate with various volunteers who are citizens and residents of Qatar, as well as giving the opportunity to volunteers who share a common passion and love for football to communicate, get to know each other and build relationships between them. The event represented an important opportunity for inspiration, awareness and building enthusiasm for volunteering in Qatar, a country that is preparing to host the FIFA World Cup, for the first time in the Middle East and the Arab world, after less than two years from now. It was also an opportunity for volunteers to learn about a part of the Qatari culture related to the organization of the World Cup Qatar 2022, and emphasizing the importance of the role that volunteers play in the success of any event or sporting tournament. On International Volunteers Day, the SC thanked volunteers who have contributed actively towards the success of numerous tournaments and sporting events hosted by Qatar since 2018 and on the road to the 2022 World Cup, in addition to celebrating the International Volunteers Day. The event witnessed the organization of a football tournament for volunteers in which four teams participated: Team Qatar, Team 2022, Amazing Team, and Together Team, which its title was won by Together Team. For his part, CEO of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Nasser Al Khater said that the SC's most important program is the volunteering program, pointing to the SC's keenness to involve community members in Qatar and the Arab world in its journey towards hosting the World Cup. Talking to the press, Al Khater said that since the launch of the SC's volunteering program in September 2018 to support preparations for hosting the World Cup Qatar 2022, more than a quarter of a million people from around the world have applied to join the volunteering team. Since 2018, the volunteering program has succeeded in investing the capabilities and energies of volunteers, their passion and love for football in a positive way, as they contributed to the success of many local and international tournaments held in Qatar, as well as in the opening of the Qatar World Cup stadiums, he added. On the occasion of International Volunteer Day, Al Khater praised the great role played by the SC's volunteers during the events hosted by Qatar over the last period, saying that these events play a distinct role in refining the volunteers' experiences and qualifying them to be football ambassadors during the World Cup Qatar 2022. For her part, Workforce and Volunteer Director in the Local Organizing Committee of the Qatar World Cup Rasha Al Qarni said that volunteers are the key pillar for the success of any sports tournament, pointing out that the volunteering program in the State of Qatar for the World Cup has gone beyond many stages in changing the nature of culture towards volunteering programs. Al Qarni said that despite the challenges faced in the recent period, the number of volunteers in 2020 is more than that of the previous year, noting the success of the SC in communicating with volunteers in all ways and giving them continuous distance training courses. She stressed that the training and development opportunities provided by the SC for volunteers equipped them with an ideal set of skills and abilities and helped them identify the goals and aspirations to host an ideal edition of the World Cup, in addition to motivating them to contribute to the success of the largest football event hosted by the Arab region. On the occasion of International Volunteers Day, Al Qarni said that this event is a celebration of the SC's volunteers, whose number reached 2000 people in 2020, for their effort and time as well as their distinguished role throughout this year. SC's ambassador Mohammed Saadoun Al Kuwari stressed that volunteering is one of the most important stages in the success of the organization of the world championships, especially that part of the volunteers' ideas and directives is cooperation, solidarity and service without charge, and this is what humanity needs now, especially under the difficult circumstances through which the world is going. Al Kuwari said that he was proud of the large number of SC's volunteers, who have contributed to the success of more than one event during the recent period, most notably the FIFA Club World Cup and the GCC Championship, especially since there is no successful tournament without a distinguished cadre of volunteers. Al Kuwari expressed his optimism about the volunteering experience in Qatar and the volunteering program, especially in light of the registration of more than a quarter of a million participants to volunteer for the success of the World Cup Qatar 2022, stressing that the volunteers are showing day after day their commitment and enthusiasm for the success of this global sporting event. (QNA)