Qatar was awarded hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, surprising many Asians and Americans. While small in size, Qatar has invested heavily in sports for years. It has experience hosting large sporting events like the 2006 Asian Games and regularly hosts tennis and motorcycle competitions. Qatar plans to spend $100 billion on new infrastructure to support the World Cup, including over a dozen new stadiums, expanded transportation, and accommodations to deal with summer heat over 40 degrees Celsius.

1. [LANE 462- CA-2011] December 4, 2010
Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar
5 minutes Translation (2)
Saturday, 04 December 2010 | Dhuʻl-Hijjah 28, 1431 | Last updated at 00:57
Qatar wins big on investment in sports
Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid delegation celebrate on the official bus in Doha on Friday. FIFA gave its ultimate
recognition to emerging markets on Thursday by awarding the 2018 and 2022 editions of the prestigious and lucrative
World Cup soccer finals to Russia and Qatar, both new hosts. (Reuters)
By AGENCIES
Published: Dec 4, 2010 00:57 Updated: Dec 4, 2010 01:02
DOHA: The surprise choice of Qatar to host
the 2022 World Cup has left many Asians
and Americans bemused if not piqued, but
the Gulf state secured the honor after years
of investment in sports.
Massive celebrations erupted in Qatar after world football's governing body FIFA announced Thursday that the Gulf
emirate had trumped over more fancied bids from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States. The
festivities lasted into the wee hours on Friday.
Newspaper commentators highlighted that, while tiny, the nation of just 1.7 million people was bringing football's
showpiece event to an Arab and Muslim country for the first time.

2. [LANE 462- CA-2011] December 4, 2010
Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar
Another recurring theme is the ability of Qatar to honor its commitment to organize the 2022 World Cup in the best
conditions. Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who headed Qatar's delegation in Switzerland along with his
wife Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, issued a personal assurance the emirate could handle the big occasion.
"Qatar is capable of great achievements even if it is a small country," he said. "I promise the sports facilities will be of
optimum quality and the pride of all Arabs."
The emirate has earmarked $100 billion to develop its infrastructure, with the ambition of establishing itself as a
tourist center.
In sport, the country has a wealth of experience. It organized FIFA's U-20 World Cup in 1995, as well as the 2006
Asian Games, which many have judged to have been the continent's best.
Doha has also staged an ATP men's tennis tournament since 1990, and has hosted glitzy season-ending WTA
Championships for women over the past three years.
Qatar also organizes the MotoGP, the world's elite motorcycle competition, and hosted this year's football Asian Cup.
Officials have promised to begin work immediately on more than a dozen new stadiums it needs to build in as many
years, before dismantling and transferring them to developing nations. The Gulf state has pledged to construct a
modern transportation network, including a metro, and accommodation facilities.
It also faces the unprecedented task of providing cooling systems for stadiums as the World Cup will be staged in
summer when temperatures surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Many critics in rival bidding nations have raised doubts as to whether the emirate will be able to carry it all off,
including US President Barack Obama, who described FIFA's decision as "wrong."
Even extremists have chipped in, speculating that Qatar will "not exist by 2022 because Al-Qaeda will have already
established a caliphate," according to SITE, a US group that monitors extremist online forums.
But addressing security concerns, the president of the bid committee, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, the emir's son,
assured that "in terms of security, Qatar will host an immaculate World Cup."
The country though faces the hard task of convincing skeptical fans who fear the desert nation will hold a sweltering
and boring tournament. Many fans wrongly believe Qatar has draconian social restrictions or the violence that
plagues Afghanistan and Iraq.
Twitter was alive with such fears immediately after Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament. Some fans suggested
Qatar would keep women out of stadiums.
They might be stunned to find a largely safe, cosmopolitan capital where celebrity British chef Gordon Ramsay has
set up shop, malls are filled with designer goods and the skyline rivals any in the United States. Women are free to
work, drive and cheer on their favorite football team, as they did during last month's Brazil-Argentina friendly.
Still, this country of 1.6 million is no Paris or Rio or even neighboring Dubai — and Qataris seem to want to keep it
that way. Most understand, though, that the country will have to open up further with the World Cup coming and find a
balance between the modern and traditional.
Mohammed Al-Sayegh, 16, said he was initially against his country bidding for the World Cup, but now supports the
bid as a way to boost the country's standing on the international stage.
"We want to take the World Cup but we can't take everything," he said. "We can show the world that we can preserve
our culture even if we host such a big event."

3. ‫0102 ,4 ‪[LANE 462- CA-2011] December‬‬
‫‪Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar‬‬
‫.1‬ ‫‪Microsoft Translator‬‬
‫‪R‬‬
‫الدوحة: اختيار مفاجئة من قطر باستضافة 2202 في‬
‫"كأس العالم" أسفرت عن العديد من السيويين‬
‫والميركيين مرتبك إذا لم منزعج، لكن الدولة الخليجية‬
‫تأمين شرف بعد سنوات الستثمار في مجال الرياضة.‬
‫‪2.Golden Al-Wafi‬‬
‫الدوحة: الختيار المفاجئ لقطر لسْتِضْاَفة كأسِ عالم‬
‫2202 تَركَ العديد مِنْ السيويين والمريكان أربكوا إنْ لمْ‬
‫يُزعَجونَ، لكن الدولة الخليجيةَ ضَمنتْ الشرفَ بعد سَنَواتِ‬
‫مِنْ الستثمارِ في اللعاب الرياضية.‬
‫ِ‬