DOHA, 15 December 2006 — From a bird’s-eye view, Qatar is the shape of a thumb. As a visitor to Qatar during the 15th Asian Games and having seen the wonderful facilities available here I would give Qatar a big thumbs up.
This is the first time that an Arab country and especially a Gulf country is being given the opportunity to host a huge event such as the Asian Games; an event attended by nearly 45 countries. Qatar has done a great job in preparing for the event, which started five years ago when it was announced that they had been awarded the opportunity to host the event beating Hong Kong, India and Malaysia. No ifs or buts, Qatar is the sporting capital of the Middle East.
Doha resembles a beehive in which the majority of its 16,000 residents are volunteers working to bring the best in Qatar by hosting the Asian Games. A lot of preparations were made for the occasion and at the end the beehive has truly offered the best. Thousands of people have come from all over the world to either watch, play, or cover the event.
The whole city of Doha is celebrating the Asian Games. Huge printed posters with the logo of the games can be seen hanging from buildings such as the Ministry of Economy and Commerce. The logo and pictures of sporting personalities are displayed everywhere. The pictures also include that of chess boards, football players and logos of Qatar’s sport mascot “Orry.”
People in Qatar strive to make things easy for their guests; you do not have to worry about accommodation, transportation or communication. Buildings and hotels were built just for the occasion and those who have visited Doha during the Asian Games can rest assured that they are the very first people to reside in the rooms there. Whether you’re an athlete or a mediaperson, both have their own special village.
In addition, a well-organized transportation system is available; 200 buses ferry 10,500 athletes, officials and media representatives to venues free of charge. People are also given the opportunity to use their own cars and taxis.
People in Qatar have gone that extra mile and try to ensure that everyone feels at home. Thus you get to see foreigners from across the world brought here to work alongside the locals to provide help to visitors. The 2,200 journalists are also cared for and all press releases and material is available in Arabic, English and other languages online.
Even in the organizers’ daily printed journal, some of their commonly used phrases are written and translated into different languages with a view to bringing various cultures closer. Exhibitions are also held in which countries are able to participate by displaying their art and culture.
A series of funny statistics are also distributed showing interesting information such as the fact that 11,500,000 bottles of water were required for the games.
The Qatari way of communication with one another and with foreigners is a feature that is very notable and admirable. They are proud Muslims and Arabs who are every generous when it comes to welcoming guests and helping them in every possible way. Some of them took days off from work to volunteer to help in the Asian Games. They never call you by your name, you are a brother or a sister and sometime a woman is called a Sheikha as a sign of respect, a quality which is witnessed all the time.
In addition, besides the respect women command here, they have the freedom in wearing whatever they want as long as it is decent and not revealing. Qatari women also drive cars.
Some of the Qatari volunteers said that women drivers did not face any problems even if they cover their faces. Although the tradition and culture in Qatar is similar to that in other Gulf countries, nevertheless they still have the privilege to play and attend matches in mixed zones. Some restaurants here have family sections like those in Saudi Arabia but there are many mixed zones as well.
If attending all venues and the 39 sporting events is not enough, a visitor still has many things to do like going shopping in the downtown souks or modern shopping centers like City Center and Landmark Shopping Mall. Moreover, there are regular tours to the desert, as well as to the Doha Zoo and the Qatar National Museum. The Museum of Islamic Art and the Oriental Art Museum, which were opened during the Asian Games, are also favorite destinations. Entrance is also free. If after that you still have time to spare then why not visit the cinema.
Bringing back the memory of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, which included a horse rider climbing to from the bottom of the stage at the Khalifa stadium until he reached the top. This made all the hearts of the spectators beat and pound until he completed his mission and lit the flame at the top.
Thank you Qatar for hosting the Asian Games, and for the chance you gave to a Saudi woman to cheer and to report on her national team in a very enjoyable, exciting and unforgettable way. You were given a task and you have done your job very well. We have no doubts; if you were given the opportunity to host the Olympics then you would do it even better.
