Qatar World Cup ahead of schedule

On Monday, the State of Qatar launched a week-long celebration of its National Day with a short but impressive program at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The event also commemorates its First Ruler, Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohamend Bin Thani, with the theme of “Promise of Prosperity and Glory”. The program highlighted how progressive the state is, and showcased its strong culture.

“Qatar now has more than 240,000 Filipino workers and they are enjoying the privilege of the Qatari government,” said Qatar Ambassador to the Philippines Ali Ibrahim Al Malki. “They are also our partners in development, and we are looking forward to an even stronger relationship. And because of the FIFA World Cup 2022, we now require additional supply of manpower from the Philippines. We also see Filipino workers as one of the best in the world, very professional, educated and talented.” 

In December of 2010, the FIFA Executive Committee simultaneously awarded Russia and Qatar the 2018 World Cup and 2022 World Cup, respectively, in secret voting in Zurich. FIFA president Joseph Blatter said the purpose was to “go to new lands” because the World Cup had never been held in Eastern Europe or the Middle East, a source of immense pride for Qatar, given the intense competition during the bidding among five candidates. So far, the massive construction of stadia for the 2022 edition of the quadrennial matches appears to be going ahead of schedule.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, Qatar’s Foreign Minister HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that the “2022 FIFA World Cup is a first and foremost opportunity for the Arab world and the Middle East to highlight the true and peaceful nature of the rest of the world. It also gives the State of Qatar a great opportunity to stimulate innovation, positive change and sustainable development.”

When the need for the unparalleled infrastructure for the World Cup was first revealed, it was announced that Qatar would need up to 300,000 Filipino workers to complete all the venues.

“The State of Qatar is currently building eight stadiums, 64 training grounds, five fan areas and accommodation, as well as major infrastructure developments including roads, railways and airports,” the Foreign Minister added. “The World Cup is an occasion to bring people together, overcoming geographical, religious, cultural and linguistic differences.”

Qatar also acknowledged the strong relationship with the Philippines. 

“The ties between the Philippines and Qatar are going very well, “ Ambassador Al Malki declared. “This year in April, President Duterte visited Qatar and both sides signed new agreements, we are also currently working on other agreements right now. We are expecting this relationship to go ahead with more enhancements in the field of investment, as well as political cooperation.”

As proof of this, the reception was attended by foreign dignitaries and government officials, including Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, Chief Legal Counsel Sal Panelo, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano (on behalf of Foreign Affairs Sec. Alan Cayetano, and others.

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ColorManila, the country’s most aggressive “concept fun-run” organizer, will hold the ColorManila Run Year 6 – known as CM Paradise Run – on January 7, 2018, at the SM Mall of Asia Event Grounds in Pasay City.

This year’s run, also held in January, received international recognition and was a finalist for Asia Sports Industry Awards in Bangkok, Thailand, for both the Mass Participation category and the Best Integrated Marketing Campaign for a Sports Event category. It was also featured in various news outlets in 13 countries, including Malaysia, India, Turkey and Spain.  

This year, the organizers are targeting 15,000 runners. The CM Paradise Run includes four race distances, 3K, 5K, 10K and 21K. The experience will take runners through various color stations with palm trees, garlands and hammocks. This will be capped off with the CM Color Festival. Dozens of sports and entertainment celebrities are expected to attend.

Those interested to register may visit colormanila.com.