Qatar

Qatar 2022 organisers have appointed Stadion Amsterdam and IMG to consult on stadium operations for the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup.

Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert has criticised football’s governing body FIFA for being “politically driven” in awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, according to Associated Press.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted that hosting the 2022 World Cup in the heat of a Qatari summer is not “rational or reasonable”.

Rising costs may lead to Qatar reducing the number of stadiums it plans to develop for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Clifford Chance has been appointed by the Supreme Committee for Qatar 2022 as an adviser to its technical programme, with the international law firm set to offer its expertise gained on a number of projects in the lead-up to the country’s staging of the FIFA World Cup.

A new high-profile voice has come out in favour of Qatar staging the 2022 World Cup in the winter, with the chairman of FIFA’s Medical Committee, Michel D’Hooghe, stating that he is against holding the tournament in the searing summer heat of the Middle Eastern country.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced four new speakers for Securing Sport 2013, headlined by Asian Football Confederation (AFC) vice-president and FIFA Executive Committee nominee Moya Dodd.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced that John Abbott, chair of the Interpol Integrity in Sport Steering Group, will speak at Securing Sport 2013, the leading international sport security and integrity conference.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced that Juliette Kayyem, a lecturer in public policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and national security and foreign policy columnist for the Boston Globe plus Sylvia Schenk, senior advisor for sport at Transparency International, will speak at the Securing Sport 2013 event.

The International Paralympic Committee has announced that the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced that Denis Oswald, president of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the International Rowing Federation (FISA), will speak at Securing Sport 2013, which will be held from March 18-19 in Doha.

Organisers of the Doha Goals Forum have pledged to select and implement projects from among more than 200 ideas generated during the two-day meeting of sports leaders, legends and students which closed in the Qatari capital on Wednesday.

World Rally Championship team M-Sport has secured Qatari backing for a three-car squad in the series in 2013.`

The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) has unveiled a scheme to develop 19 new sports venues in five zones across the country, with an eye towards the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has agreed a groundbreaking 10-year partnership with Interpol to support the safety and security of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and other major sporting events over the next decade.

Aspire4Sport 2012, the Middle East’s leading sports business congress and exhibition, has announced that Dr. Mario Zorzoli, chief doctor of the International Cycling Union (UCI), along with former Liverpool and England footballer John Barnes, will be key speakers at this month’s event.