Qatar's winning of the FIFA World Cup bid for 2022 is big news here, and great news for all the Arabian Gulf States.* You'd think the games were due to start next year with all the talk and press coverage. There's hardly any mention of Russia in 2018. Of course, the attention is mostly due to the fact that it's a surprise, being a first for the Middle East.
The radio talk shows are abuzz with excitement over what Qatar's hosting the World Cup will mean for the region. Certainly there will be a surge in tourism, as the UAE is just a hop, skip and jump away from Qatar. There will also be a surge in demand for business and professionals out of the UAE. (I hope my husband's office starts to get some of these calls soon.) There's also talk of a new railway system that would link all of the GCC states, which if approved may be in place as soon as 2017. The thought of hopping on a train and going from Dubai to Muscat, Kuwait City, Doha and points in between, traveling across the desert or with views of the Gulf--I find that extremely appealing, having had more than my share of airports for now. (Dubai is supposed to be extending its metro system to Abu Dhabi, but I don't hear much about that now.)
I also heard that the dates may be changed so the event is held during the "winter" here (December through February). With temperatures in Dubai now in the pleasant range, compared with the unbearable heat of the summer, I really, really hope they decide to do this! It would be so much nicer for everyone and save lots of money in air-conditioning to boot.
The numbers being bandied about are getting very high, so let's hope this isn't another bubble in the making. Qatar is supposed to spend $4 billion on new stadiums and $50 billion on infrastructure. I hear the stadia will be designed for export to other countries after the World Cup and/or convertible to other uses, such as hospitals or theatres. They expect there to be new bond issues to finance the costs, on top of Qatar's existing $100 billion in debt, so Qatar's debt may grow dramatically. It's a scary undertaking for such a small country. According to Wikipedia, the population of Qatar is only 1.7 million, with almost three-fourths being expatriates, much smaller than Dubai or even the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Presumably Qatar has enough anticipated revenue from its oil and gas supplies to pay for all of this, while it continues its attempts to diversify its economy. One advantage it has is not having to worry much about politics and local pressures--if there's one thing Arabs are good at, it's getting things done quickly.
One of Qatar's most noteworthy accomplishments so far is its establishment of campuses of various American universities in its Education City, including Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Texas A & M, Virginia Commonwealth, Cornell Medical School, and Northwestern. (Similar efforts in Dubai have not been so successful.) I know several Pittsburghers who have spent time in Doha teaching for CMU, and I expect that they will welcome its transformation to the world stage, although the ongoing construction will undoubtedly be a major pain, as it has been here in Dubai.
Since I hear it pronounced many different ways, I looked up the official pronunciation of Qatar for English language broadcasts: "KA-tar", which I would pronounce "Ka" as in "cat" followed by "tar" with emphasis on the first syllable. (Wikipedia emphasizes "KA-tar" and not "KAT-ar" although I'd be hard pressed to explain any difference there.) I often hear versions that sound like "Ka-TAR" or "Cutter" or "Catter" and I'm not sure if these are correct.
Having flown Qatar Airways to the USA a couple of times, I can say with confidence that they always pronounce it "KA-tar". I can recommend this airline as a good, reasonably priced travel option, with newer planes, helpful cabin crews, and decent food. The tail fins of the planes are nicely emblazoned in burgundy with an oryx, the national animal and symbol of Qatar. If the quality of the airline is any indicator, I'd say we may be okay as far as the World Cup goes. We will have plenty of time to practice our pronunciation and plan our trip before tickets go on sale.
*Perhaps due to the controversy over the name of the Gulf (see post dated 2/28/10), these six states are usually referred to as the GCC states, for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
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