Highest Standards of Security and Safety to be Maintained at Qatar Wor

According to the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) in Doha, Qatar has made remarkable preparations for safety and security and has spared no effort to develop extensive international cooperation to ensure a successful FIFA World Cup.

With only a few days till the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Chairman of the ICSS Mohammed bin Hanzab remarked, "We are delighted that Qatar is fully ready to host the tournament, which will bring millions of eyes and hundreds of thousands of international fans."

He said that "ICSS has aided the State of Qatar since the earliest beginning days" when the country was given the go-ahead to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first Arab country to do so. Hanzab continued, "Qatar has been able to capitalize on unique relevant expertise in the security field as one of the nations with one of the lowest rates of crime in the world, and, at the same time, embrace the best practices developed in other nations, at all latitudes, who hosted significant sporting events in the past.

According to Steven Fleming, Head of Sport Event Security at the International Committee for Sport Security (ICSS), "Since inception in 2010, the ICSS, an international, not-for-profit organization based in Doha, has provided support for Sport Governing Bodies, Local Organizing Committees, and sporting organizations at international, national, and local levels, through stadium design, development of organizational structures, operational planning, training, and education." The United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT), in collaboration with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Fleming noted, "has developed the safety and security handbook and guidelines for global and continental sports federation, conducted country threat and risk assessments for international tournaments.

"We provided guidance on major event safety and security regulations, participated in observation programs at a number of international sports events, and reported lessons learned and best practices from those events to be incorporated into operational planning for Qatar 2022. In addition to stadium operations, these projects also include transportation, lodging, training grounds, the International Broadcast Centre, the Main Operations Center, and FIFA Fan Festivals "He noted.

He added, "Since 2013, it has been our great honor to serve as the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy's (SC) principal advisor and technical assistance provider on safety and security for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022".

The ICSS has been given a task by SC to conduct safety and security evaluations and observations in a number of stadiums throughout the World Cup in order to identify and promote best practices in real-time and report on areas where improvements can be made throughout the competition, according to Fleming.