The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s (SC) booth at Bayt Qatar at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro has had a successful first week, attracting many visitors including Olympic fans and media, former footballers and coaches and members of Team Qatar.
Following a successful seven-day run, tickets to the Qatar Olympic Committee’s hospitality house at the Games are sold out. Bayt Qatar is showcasing the very best of the country’s traditions and culture to visitors.
Hundreds of visitors to Bayt Qatar have stopped by the SC booth, where Al Rayyan Stadium is being showcased along with other projects that will contribute to the successful delivery of the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East.
According to H.E. Mohammed Bin Ahmed Al Hayki, Qatar’s Ambassador to Brazil, Bayt Qatar has become a landmark in Rio as the only Arab Olympic hospitality house of the 2016 Games. He said: “The SC’s presence at Bayt Qatar is crucial in raising awareness among passionate Brazilian football fans of Qatar’s preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”
With the Qatari Olympic participation featuring the country’s largest ever athlete delegation in the history of the games, Al Hayki also highlighted that the SC’s booth is managed by a group of promising Qatari youths, who provide visitors from around the world with a wealth of information about legacy plans, progress and preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.
He said: “The progress made in the construction of the Al Rayyan Stadium showcases Qatar’s own preparations to host the world in 2022, and deliver a unique World Cup. Just like other stadiums in Qatar, Al Rayyan will be a legacy of the tournament. The facilities that have been constructed to serve the fans and guests of the hugely popular and long-established football team clearly embody the social cohesion between the Al Rayyan Sports Club and its supporters.”
Meanwhile, Hamad Bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah, President of the Qatar Equestrian Federation, who also visited the SC booth at Bayt Qatar, emphasised that all sectors are working towards the success of the tournament, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Al Attiyah, who is also the Head of the Qatar Endurance Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Racing and Equestrian Club, praised the SC's ongoing preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™. “I have full confidence in the competence of the Qatari youth, who are leading the effort to deliver an outstanding World Cup in a country in which the people have a strong passion for sport and the leadership are providing all the necessary support to ensure an outstanding World Cup edition in 2022,” he said.
For Al Attiyah, the SC's participation in Bayt Qatar marks the beginning of these future successes. He said: “One of the manifestations of that success is that the SC booth is being visited by large crowds, especially foreigners who have come to watch the Olympic Games.”
Mohammed Yousef al Hammadi, supervisor of the SC booth, welcomed the huge interest from visitors, particularly football-loving Brazilians, wishing to know the latest developments in Qatar's preparations to host the 2022 World Cup. “The questions asked by the visitors showed that Brazilians clearly and significantly understand and follow World Cup tournaments and their preparations anywhere in the world,” he said. “Our brothers at the QOC provided us with all the necessary facilities to participate in this major event in the name of Qatar.”
In addition to the public, former football stars and coaches such as former Brazil World Cup winning captains Dunga (1994) and Cafu (2002), World Cup winning defender Lucio (2002), Euro 2000 winner David Trezeguet of France, former Real Madrid midfielder Christian Karembeu and former Qatar national team coach Evaristo visited the booth. Team Qatar at Rio 2016 also visited the SC booth, including Nasser Al Attiyah, a bronze medalist in London four years ago who will compete on Friday at the Rio Olympics.