Spain’s Qatari Ambassador on reinforcing sports culture through Aspetar, Aspire and Qatar 2022 projects
Spain's Ambassador to Qatar has prasied the preparatory efforts being made for Qatar 2022, while highlighting Spain's contribution to strengthening sports culture in the Middle East state.
The Spanish ambassador to Qatar, Belén Alfaro Hernández, has highlighted the considerable Qatari efforts being carried out in preparation for Qatar 2022, which will be the first Fifa World Cup to be held in the Middle East.
"Qatar and Spain have the same passion for sports, especially football, so Qatar is in full swing with the preparations for the first World Cup in the Middle East, with a vision to organize an unforgettable and extraordinary edition,” she said.
“Therefore we believe that it will be a great success for Qatar and for the entire region in general, especially with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani’s declaration that his country is committed to organizing the first carbon-free tournament.”
Spain-Qatar collaboration
She continued: “There is continuous collaboration between Qatar and Spain that will indeed be part of the success of Qatar 2022. In this sense, Spain contributes to reinforcing sports culture in Qatar in various ways through the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, and the Aspetar hospital of sports medicine and orthopedics, as experienced Spanish professionals work in both institutions.”
“This is in addition to the presence of top international players at Qatari clubs in the Qatar Stars League, as well as agreements with Spanish companies to develop the infrastructure for Qatar 2022, such as Metro Doha, the airport and the roads,” added Ambassador Alfaro Hernández in a discussion with Qatari newspaper Al Sharq, in which she highlighted that three of the eight stadiums built for Qatar 2022 were designed by architects from the Spanish architecture firm Fenwick – namely, Education City, Ras Abu Aboud and Al Thumama stadiums.