Qatar Plays ‘The Game of Your Life’

By successfully hosting the 15th Asian Games, the second largest sports extravaganza after the Olympics, Qatar has sent a clear signal that it is ready to expand its connections with the world, finds out Clarence Michael

QATAR has achieved what was considered to be near impossible for a Gulf country. Having spent more than US$2.8-billion, the peninsula state is hosting over 15,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries, 5,000 members of the media and an additional 10,000 spectators at the 15th Asian Games being held in Doha from December 1. It was no easy task. But, with both the Government and the private sector joining hands in a unique public-private initiative, Qatar has emerged successful in the race to build new stadiums and put the necessary infrastructure into place. The near-perfect preparations were all executed with a clear ambition: Qatar will in the near future host the largest multi-sport event, the Summer Olympics.

Take, for example, the 15th Asian Games Temporary Terminal at the Doha International Airport commissioned by the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (DAGOC). Located in a secure thematic structure, it was designed to reflect an Arabian tent that is capable of handling a flow of 2,300 passengers per hour. The terminal, which will be dismantled after the Games, is just one segment of a multi-faceted plan that Qatar had put in place to host the Asian Games.

“The existing Doha International Airport terminals will continue to serve passengers arriving on all international flights, while the temporary terminal will be used exclusively for all accredited athletes, officials, media and guests,” according to Abdulla K Al Qahtani of the Doha International Airport.

Not surprisingly, the response to the Government initiatives has been enormous. The tickets for the Opening Ceremony for Doha 2006 were oversold by 72 per cent in the first two phases, requiring DAGOC to launch a final phase. Special seating arrangements have been made for families and an eight-ticket limit per buyer imposed for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies by the DAGOC.

In the Games Village, there are a total of 32 residential buildings with 811 apartments for athletes. Each athlete or team official apartment consists of five bedrooms and houses a maximum of 13 athletes. All apartments have access to a common living room, with television, telephone and refrigerator, and there are four bathrooms in each apartment. Similarly, the Chefs de Mission officials are being accommodated in 45 apartments while there will be 45 NOC Offices.

But what price will this infrastructure be worth in the future? Well, it looks like the Qataris are set to reap long-term benefits from the new facilities. Qatar is already riding on an economic boom, capitalising on its massive gas reserves. Today, Qatari per capita income at US$26,000 ranks as one of the highest in the world. Both commercial and residential real estate markets are also tracking these trends, with projects like The Pearl-Qatar and the US$5-billion Lusail project by Qatari Diar, reflecting the increased economic interest that the country is generating.

Partners at Work
Among the multinationals that have helped Qatar lay the infrastructure for the Doha Games is GE. The company has signed a strategic agreement with the DAGOC to be an Official Partner and to provide temporary power generation for approximately 40 competition and non-competition venues around Doha.

No major game can be a success without state-of-the-art communication facilities. Qtel is a Prestige Partner for the Games and its Official Telecommunications Provider. It is providing a wide range of services, including local and international telephony, Internet and data services and cable television, during the Games. This apart, Qtel will provide up to 13 TV channels for the pilot project during and after the Games, including sport, entertainment and TV news channels from broadcasters such as Al Jazeera, CNN, CNBC and others.

In total, Qtel has invested QR500 million (approx. US$138 million) in new technologies, including a state-of-the-art high-speed optical capacity network that is capable of delivering high definition television (HDTV) coverage of the Games. This investment is certain to benefit Qatar’s citizens long into the future given the induction of these very advanced technologies, says Qtel.

According to Qtel CEO, Dr. Nasser Marafih, “Whilst we here in Qatar are fortunate in that we can be present at the Games in the stadiums, there will be millions and millions of people around the world glued to their television sets, cheering on their national heroes and national teams. This has been made possible by Qtel in partnership with other carriers and operators to transmit high quality pictures and images around the globe.”

Qtel’s complement of payphones is now fully smart-card operated, avoiding the need for users to depend on having appropriate numbers of cumbersome coins to make calls. Besides, it has expanded the number of WiFi access points and introduced a new service called WiMax to provide a wider ‘footprint’ for wireless web access. Moreover, the pre-paid ‘Games Ebahar’ service for the press and media allows users to buy daily, weekly or games-duration cards that allows them WiFi Internet access at close to 300 access points in the Main Press Centre, the Athletes Village or any of the 26 Games venues around Doha.

Says Dr. Nasser, “We have invested in technologies as well as in our people and after the Games are over, we will be left with a wonderful legacy that will continue to serve Qatar for years ahead.”

According to Qatar National Bank, which is sponsoring the volunteer uniforms, this is part of QNB’s extensive promotional endorsement, in addition to its banking services’ support. As the QNB logo is emblazoned on the Doha 2006 workforce dress, a beaming Ali Shareef Al Emadi, QNB’s Acting Chief Executive, said “When the Asian Games are over, these uniforms will become a memorabilia of the biggest sporting event in the history of Asia. We want the volunteers to look back at the Games as a special time in their lives and remember QNB’s role in making these Games a success.”

Fifteen months ago, QNB signed the QR36.5 million (approx. US$10 million) sponsorship agreement with the DAGOC to became the official bank for the Games. The bank has constructed temporary branches within the Asian Games City, the temporary airport and the main media centre.

Hosting the Delegations
Hospitality leader, The Ritz-Carlton, Doha, hosted 20 major sports delegations in 2006, including those from Tour de Qatar, Moto GP, the Qatar Masters and DAGOC. By the end of this year, this is expected to result in a minimum of 14,000 room nights, with the Asian Games alone increasing average occupancy levels by 2 per cent of total room nights for 2006.

Samsung Electronics has been a sponsor of the Asian Games since 1986, and this year its partnership includes exclusivity in audio/visual, white goods and mobile phone categories.
As an exclusive multi-category Prestige Partner, Samsung is providing 8,189 products, consisting of 3,549 A/V (TV, Video Camera and DVD/VCR Combo), 2,772 mobile phones, 1,868 household appliances (referigerators, washers and microwaves), for use in the Games’ venues, said Jong-Yong Yun, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics.

Massive preparations apart, there have already been complaints from several countries about a shortage of accommodation for their athletes. The US$500 million Athletes’ Village was built to house 10,000 people, but 13,500 competitors and officials will now need accommodation. Officials indicated some countries have gone over their quotas and will have to make their own arrangements.

However, the organisers say such criticism only overplays the issues. Games spokesman Ahmed Abdulla Al Khulaifi said, “In Qatar, there are 14,000 medical staff and only 8.5 per cent will be used for Asian Games services. There will be no effect on medical services for the country.” Similarly, Qatar National Olympic Committee secretary-general Sheikh Saoud bin Abdelrahman Al Thani said, “The rest of the world thought that Qatar, with only 200,000 nationals, could not organise the Asian Games, but we have proved them wrong.”
As a recent Standard Chartered report notes: “…the wider growing pains are to some degree inevitable given the scale and ambitions of the projects and developments. However, increasing export volumes and continued investment will result in Qatar being the region’s fastest growing and richest economy.”

In the ultimate analysis, for Qatar, which has the second-largest gas reserves in the world, this is once-in-a-lifetime chance to demonstrate to the world its huge redevelopment. Given the scale of Qatar’s ambitious projects, it appears that successful hosting of the Asian Games is part of the country’s larger plan to rally support for its expected bid to host the 2016
Olympics.

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