By Onochie Anibeze

Midway into the session, Hassan Al Thawadi, the Secretary General of Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee paused while answering a question.

“I’m proud of the work that we have done in the past three years. We have been developing the plan for memorable World Cup. And now we are delivering the plan,” he said when he continued.

The excitement he showed and his delivery during the session really portrayed his emotions about the 2022 World Cup.  He was with Nasser Al Khater who is Executive Director, Communications and Marketing.

Al Thawadi speaks French, English, Arabic, Spanish aside some local dialects and opted to do some translations yesterday during the press conference to unveil the design of Al Wakrah Stadium, which will be one of the six new stadia to be built for the 2022 World Cup. The stadium, Al Thawadi said, would be ready in 2018. The other stadia will be ready one year before the World Cup.

“Today’s unveiling of this design is the first in an upcoming series of progress-related events and initiatives as we begin to deliver the promise we made to FIFA and the international football community during the bid. We are proud to reveal what we believe is a truly unique stadium design and surrounding precinct that will serve the population and act as a social hub for the community of Al Wakrah and Qatar as a whole during the 2022 Fifa World Cup and for the years to follow,” Al Thawadi told a world press conference at the Prestigious 51- floor Torch Hotel in Doha.

Al wakrah is famous for its fishing and seafaring heritage and one of the host cities for the 2022 World Cup. It is located approximately kilometres south of Doha. It is a vital commercial port and a gateway to the capital throughout Qatar’s history. The people of Al Wakrah are largely fishermen and their tradition is reflected in the stadium design which is an Arabian pearl fishing boat. The stadium will have a gross capacity of 40,000.

Jim Herevin, the Director at Zaha Hadid Architects whose company designed the stadium captured the interior, the exterior and surrounding  in a power point presentation that portrayed the stadium as a master piece of architectural design that he said “is a lasting legacy that will produce an amazing experience for fans and players during the World cup.”

Al Thawadi also assured on the welfare of the workers in all their projects and reiterated that the best safety measures would be so adopted that they expected no tragedies from the sites.

He also spoke on areas like transportation and other facilities that will outlive the World Cup and impact on the lives of the people.

“There are social and economic benefits not only for the people of Qatar but also for the entire Middle East. We are developing human and environmental perspectives and I’m proud of the work we have done so far. But we still have a lot to do. We are determined to leave a lasting legacy for humanity and the game of football.”