World Cup in Qatar caps big gulf push into international sports

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revelling in a sense of pride in her nation’s new visibility on the global stage.

Qatar and its resource-rich Gulf neighbours have poured billions of dollars into international sports, buying teams and sponsorships and hosting events, in part to bolster their global clout but also out of a desire to diversify their economies, attract tourism, further their foreign policy goals and stoke nationalism at home that legitimises their authoritarian rule.

Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup, ...For the country of 3 million people, the month-long tournament is the culmination of 12 years of preparation and more than US$200 billion (S$274.8 billion) in infrastructure spending, subsumed into a grand nation-building project for a state the size of Connecticut surrounded by more powerful neighbours.

 critics accuse Gulf governments of using sports to cleanse their international reputations amid accusations of human rights abuses, sports mean a great deal more than a better image abroad for the Gulf’s hereditary rulers.

diversify its oil-dependent economy, and sports can spur job creation and consumer spending. Across the Gulf, public health advocates want to use sports to encourage physical activity among populations that struggle with childhood obesity and diabetes.

Discrimination against LGBTQ people and the treatment of migrant workers have cast shadows over the tournament.

A last-minute decision to ban beer at the stadiums also caused an outcry from fans.

The government’s efforts to link itself with the international community are partly motivated by Qatar’s vulnerabilities, which include its own self-defence,

“Most Western and European countries have a bad image of us...“We want to improve the way they look at us. We want to change their view, first of all, of Islam

Qn: ‘Staging major sporting events brings nothing but benefits to the host country.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2021)