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Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar has dismissed Franklin Foer’s “Cancel Qatar” report in The Atlantic as a pile of dated arguments and failed logic.
Jassim bin Mansour al Thani, media attaché for Qatar in the US, said, “The crux of his (Foer’s) argument is that opportunity and advancement in sports is zero-sum. While there can only be one winner, it is the belief of Qatar that sports have the power to not only bring people together, but also inspire and advance generations and genders across continents.”
“The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will take place in one of the fastest-growing regions for soccer fandom, and population, in the world. It is incredibly meaningful to the Arab world to host an event like the World Cup, and to give the tens of millions of people who live near Qatar a connection to a global event,” he said.
He said Foer kicks around a disproven argument that Qatar got the World Cup on something other than merit. “Time and again, investigations and reports have cleared Qatar’s bid. We won the vote by the substantial margin of 14 to 8. It’s time to put those falsehoods away for good,” he added.
Foer also selectively cites a 2013 report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) about the state of construction workers in Qatar.
“In doing so, he blatantly overlooks the ITUC’s recent full endorsement of Qatar’s progress on labour: In October 2017, Sharan Burrow, the ITUC general secretary, stated that there is a clear government commitment to normalise industrial protections for migrant workers,” he said.
The official said Qatar is deeply committed to the health, safety, and prosperity of expatriate workers, and this commitment does not have an expiration date. “We will continue to build on our world-leading system, which protects workers from recruitment through arrival, during their time in Qatar, and until their safe return home to the families they support.”
“Qatar is proud to be the host of the next World Cup, just as we are thrilled to host the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championship, bringing the best women and men in track and field to Qatar for two weeks of intense competition. We look forward to being inspired by world-class athletes, just as we look forward to seeing who wins the FIFA World Cup trophy in 2022.”
Doha
Qatar has dismissed Franklin Foer’s “Cancel Qatar” report in The Atlantic as a pile of dated arguments and failed logic.
Jassim bin Mansour al Thani, media attaché for Qatar in the US, said, “The crux of his (Foer’s) argument is that opportunity and advancement in sports is zero-sum. While there can only be one winner, it is the belief of Qatar that sports have the power to not only bring people together, but also inspire and advance generations and genders across continents.”
“The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will take place in one of the fastest-growing regions for soccer fandom, and population, in the world. It is incredibly meaningful to the Arab world to host an event like the World Cup, and to give the tens of millions of people who live near Qatar a connection to a global event,” he said.
He said Foer kicks around a disproven argument that Qatar got the World Cup on something other than merit. “Time and again, investigations and reports have cleared Qatar’s bid. We won the vote by the substantial margin of 14 to 8. It’s time to put those falsehoods away for good,” he added.
Foer also selectively cites a 2013 report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) about the state of construction workers in Qatar.
“In doing so, he blatantly overlooks the ITUC’s recent full endorsement of Qatar’s progress on labour: In October 2017, Sharan Burrow, the ITUC general secretary, stated that there is a clear government commitment to normalise industrial protections for migrant workers,” he said.
The official said Qatar is deeply committed to the health, safety, and prosperity of expatriate workers, and this commitment does not have an expiration date. “We will continue to build on our world-leading system, which protects workers from recruitment through arrival, during their time in Qatar, and until their safe return home to the families they support.”
“Qatar is proud to be the host of the next World Cup, just as we are thrilled to host the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championship, bringing the best women and men in track and field to Qatar for two weeks of intense competition. We look forward to being inspired by world-class athletes, just as we look forward to seeing who wins the FIFA World Cup trophy in 2022.”
