Advisor to Minister of Health for Sports Affairs: Health System is the Secret of FIFA Club World Cup 2020 Success

Doha, February 08 (QNA) - Advisor to the Minister of Public Health for Sports Affairs Dr. Abdul Wahab Al Musleh confirmed that the State of Qatar was able, in all sporting events it hosted during the recent period, especially the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup 2020, to protect its participants from infection with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and pointed to the provision of comprehensive medical services for the participants in the World Cup, whether in places of residence, training or stadiums, in addition to field services and ambulance services around the clock. In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Musleh said that COVID-19 rate of infection in the State of Qatar in general is 2%, but during the matches of the West and East regions of the AFC Champions League recently hosted in Doha, it was at 0.5%, which is the same percentage now during the FIFA Club World Cup after 12,000 examinations were conducted for the participating teams, escorts, and the teams working in the tournament, and the 10,000 fans that were examined for the first two matches. He added that the application of the medical bubble system in sporting events has succeeded greatly, whether in the Judo World Masters, the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, the Katara International Arabian Horse Festival or others sport and non-sport events that require to be approved and monitored by the Ministry of Public Health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qatar's success in controlling the pandemic and the expanded medical bubble system applied to the FIFA Club World Cup is one of the main reasons for FIFA's approval to hold the FIFA Club World Cup in February after it was scheduled for December 2020, indicating that FIFA officials were impressed and praised the system during daily meetings that take place on the sidelines of the tournament to discuss the health conditions of the participating delegations, the advisor said. He explained that the health bubble system includes all participants in the FIFA Club World Cup clubs, including players, coaches, officials, administrators, escorts, organizers and service workers, whether in stadiums or hotels, as it was confirmed that everyone was free from COVID-19 infection after undergoing an examination. Al Musleh stressed the implementation of strict precautionary measures during the FIFA Club World Cup, covering all activities and groups, whether outside or inside the stadium, including observing the social distance of one and a half meters in the fans' seats, the obligation to wear a mask and a plastic face cover in the stands, thermal detection and sterilizers, and the media not approaching the players. In addition, the examination, if it is negative, will allow its holder to attend the event within three days, and then a new examination will be required to attend another event. He indicated that the secret of the success of the health system is that it works to discover the infected quickly under the work of periodic checks, provided that the patient is isolated and removed from the bubble and placed in the areas designated for isolation provided by the State of Qatar, and then monitoring and follow-up work for all those in contact with this case until their safety is proven, and then their normal participation in the championship. Al Musleh considered that the most prominent challenges facing the system are laboratory tests, especially since the pandemic is still present, and the Ministry of Health is carrying out huge numbers of tests for the community, which had reached in previous periods 20,000 per day. This is a great challenge for the medical staff, but the Ministry of Public Health has succeeded in providing medical teams, he said. Advisor to the Minister of Public Health for Sports Affairs Dr. Abdul Wahab Al Musleh added that the success in organizing many sporting events in the recent period confirms the ability of the State of Qatar and all the organizers in various government agencies and institutions, particularly the Ministry of Public Health, to host the largest future sporting events such as FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, despite all the difficulties and challenges, especially in light of the current Coronavirus pandemic. Al Musleh praised the fruitful cooperation between all authorities and institutions in the country, especially the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which is responsible for implementing the infrastructure projects necessary for the State of Qatar to host the FIFA World Cup 2022, adding that working as a team with the ability to achieve is the real secret and the main factor behind the success of the recent sporting events organized by the State of Qatar. He believed that the fruit of this cooperation was evident in the uniqueness of Qatar and its success in the organizational aspect in general, as it was able to organize three sporting events with large participation of athletes, during a period of three months, namely the AFC Champions League West and East Qualifiers, Club World Cup as well as the Amir Cup Fina and this despite the world's exposure to a large wave of the pandemic. Advisor to the Minister of Public Health for Sports Affairs noted the commitment of the participants as well as the fans in the FIFA Club World Cup, calling on them to continue adhering to all health measures and procedures applied during matches, especially with regard to social distancing, wearing masks and a plastic cover and commitment to the seats allocated to each fan in order to preserve the safety of everyone in particular and society in general. Al Musleh explained that the State of Qatar is one of the first countries in the world to implement the medical bubble system according to the expanded model that includes large numbers of teams and athletes during a number of sporting events, which did not happen anywhere in the world, as medical bubbles were applied, but in a simple way. He considered that the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the equation in organizing sporting events and placed the medical services in the front ranks as a major factor in the success of the tournaments, pointing out at the same time that the medical services before the pandemic also had a big role in the success through the services provided, whether inside or outside the stadiums. Al Mosleh stressed that, in light of the pandemic, medical services have become the body responsible for preserving lives in the first place and preserving human health and facing the pandemic, a matter which adds more burdens, noting that the State of Qatar has succeeded in controlling the first wave of the pandemic, and is currently moving steadily as well in order to succeed in controlling the second wave. Concluding his statement to QNA, Advisor to the Minister of Public Health for Sports Affairs affirmed that the commitment by everyone in Qatar, government and people, is the real secret to controlling the Coronavirus, pointing out that the Ministry of Health is striving with all its efforts to control the second wave of the virus, which began weeks ago, adding that according to the Ministry of Public Health's plan, all residents of Qatar will be vaccinated so that the State of Qatar will reach comprehensive immunity. (QNA)