Qatar on Friday launched the ‘2022 Qatar for all’ initiative, aiming to share the joy of sport with people displaced by conflict.
Under the initiative, giant screens broadcasting the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be placed in areas of countries hit by conflict or hosting refugees.
Among the locations will be Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp, which is home to some 80,000 people displaced by the conflict in Syria.
Screens will also be sent to Palestine, Jordan, Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Bangladesh, and aim to bring the tournament to 180,000 people.
“The State of Qatar has always believed that sport is an effective tool for bringing people together and promoting peace, dialogue and openness,” said , Assistant Foreign Minister of Qatar, at the initiative’s launch ceremony.
The initiative is a joint effort involving Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Qatar Fund for Development, the Supreme Committee for Deliver and Legacy, Qatar Charity, the Qatar Red Crescent, and the BeIN Sports network.
Al-Khater said the fan zones “represent a glimmer of hope for our refugee and displaced brethren”, allowing them to “participate and share the joy”.
The minister also raised the issue of Palestine at the launch, saying that the struggle of the Palestinian people has not been forgotten.
“We expect to celebrate [the World Cup] with thousands of our brothers and sisters from Palestine and we affirm here that their cause and our just cause in Palestine will always remain present in our conscience,” she said.
The 2022 World Cup, which officially kicks of on Sunday, will be the Arab world's first hosting of the top international football tournament.
The tournament will bring together 32 countries, including the four Arab states Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia.