Sports

Building on the success of the 2006 Asian Games, Qatar has made the development of sports a priority, a move that it has supported with significant investments, which bore fruits in 2010 when the country was awarded the status of host for the FIFA World Cup in 2022. On a wider scale, sport has become a driver of growth in many other areas of Qatar’s economy, as upgrades of infrastructure and construction of stadiums and other facilities get under way. The growth of sport also ties into efforts to improve human resources and quality of life across the country, in accordance with the goals of the National Development Strategy 2011-16 and the broader Qatar National Vision 2030. This chapter contains an interview with Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary-General, Qatar Olympic Committee.