STAFF OPINION

Qatar World Cup

20), highlights how the common menstrual cycle constructs multiple obstacles for many athletes around the world. (cover by Owen Bittinger and Grace Gormley • art by Elizabeth Fetter)

The World Cup takes center stage in the sports world once every four years. This year, that stage is in Qatar, a unique host for several reasons. First, this Middle Eastern country on the Persian Gulf is very small in size (a bit smaller than the state of Connecticut) has a population of 3 million, which is less populous than Los Angeles. Second, this country has no soccer history or culture to speak of, making the selection of Qatar as the World Cup host by the international body which governs soccer, FIFA, a curious one. Third, the World Cup is normally played in June and July – the off-season for the elite world soccer leagues like the Premier League and the Bundesliga – but that is not possible in Qatar, where the temperature routinely approaches 110 degrees in the summer months. Thus, this World Cup is being played in the winter.

All of these unique factors raised questions by many as to whether Qatar could pull off being the host of such an iconic world sporting event.

Qatar, hoping to be up to the task, spared no expense (except one noted below). Qatar reportedly spent $220 billion to build the facilities and amenities needed to host the games and the tens of thousands of fans descending on this little Arabian country. (Qatar’s spending crushed the previous World Cup host spending record of $15 billion set by Brazil in 2014). Judging from the television screen, it appears Qatar has done a fine job - the stadiums where the matches are played are presentable, and the neighboring facilities seem well-suited to meet the needs of the thousands of fans rooting on their teams. But behind this idealistic scene, there is controversy surrounding Qatar’s hosting of these games - most notably the treatment of the workers who built all the facilities. A statistic from the Guardian reports that 400-500 migrant workers died on the job working on various World Cup projects, and Qatar has in many instances failed to compensate these families for their loss. FIFA, as a worldwide body, should pressure Qatar to make amends for these astonishing human rights violations, but FIFA remains silent.

It is clear that even one World Cup migrant worker death is too many, let alone the hundreds of deaths reported. At minimum, Qatar should spend a little more on the World Cup and compensate those who lost family members working to help Qatar get ready for the World Cup. Despite how pristine the games may appear on TV, the screen does not fully capture the more harsh reality of Qatar as World Cup host.

-Viking