Construction workers at Qatar's Lusail Stadium, about 20 kilometres north of the capital Doha. AFP
Construction workers at Qatar's Lusail Stadium, about 20 kilometres north of the capital Doha. AFP
Construction workers at Qatar's Lusail Stadium, about 20 kilometres north of the capital Doha. AFP
Construction workers at Qatar's Lusail Stadium, about 20 kilometres north of the capital Doha. AFP

Qatar to require World Cup 2022 fans to be vaccinated


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Fans travelling to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to attend games.

Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid Al Thani said the country wanted to secure one million vaccine doses to inoculate fans.

The announcement comes as sports organisers wrestle with how to safely allow spectators back to attend competitions.

The pandemic delayed and continues to overshadow the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with thousands of volunteers pulling out and athletes expressing concerns about travelling to the competition.

Qatar continues preparations to host the Middle East's first World Cup. AFP
Qatar continues preparations to host the Middle East's first World Cup. AFP

Qatar has recorded 585 deaths and 220,800 cases during the pandemic – at one time leading the world in terms of cases per capita.

The nation said the Middle East's first World Cup, due to start on November 21, 2022, will go ahead.

"When the date of the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 comes, most countries of the world will have vaccinated and immunised their citizens," Sheikh Khalid was quoted as saying by state media on Sunday.

“Due to the possibility that some countries will not be able to vaccinate all their citizens, Qatar will not allow fans to enter stadiums without receiving a full vaccination against the virus.”

Coronavirus around the world – in pictures 

  • A medic prepares to administer a dose of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AFP
    A medic prepares to administer a dose of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AFP
  • Syringes filled with doses of the AstraZeneca shot are prepared at the Central Vaccination Centre, inside the Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok, Thailand. Reuters
    Syringes filled with doses of the AstraZeneca shot are prepared at the Central Vaccination Centre, inside the Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok, Thailand. Reuters
  • Aeon employees receive the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at the company's shopping mall in Chiba, Japan. Reuters
    Aeon employees receive the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at the company's shopping mall in Chiba, Japan. Reuters
  • A girl looks out through a hole in the wall of her house as a health worker prepares to carry out Covid-19 testing in Jamsoti village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. AP
    A girl looks out through a hole in the wall of her house as a health worker prepares to carry out Covid-19 testing in Jamsoti village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. AP
  • Children are taken to school in Karachi after the Pakistan government said in-person classes could resume. AFP
    Children are taken to school in Karachi after the Pakistan government said in-person classes could resume. AFP
  • A ball is disinfected during the Copa America match between Peru and Colombia at Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico in Goiania, Brazil. EPA
    A ball is disinfected during the Copa America match between Peru and Colombia at Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico in Goiania, Brazil. EPA
  • An Iranian woman and children stand in front of a fast-food shop at the Grand Bazaar in the capital Tehran. AFP
    An Iranian woman and children stand in front of a fast-food shop at the Grand Bazaar in the capital Tehran. AFP
  • A passenger on board Royal Caribbean's 'Freedom of the Seas' ship waits to set sail from Port Miami as authorities in Florida test Covid-19 measures for cruises. AFP
    A passenger on board Royal Caribbean's 'Freedom of the Seas' ship waits to set sail from Port Miami as authorities in Florida test Covid-19 measures for cruises. AFP
  • Hundreds of red roses have been planted at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to mark the deaths of more than 500,000 Covid-19 patients and protest against the country's response to the pandemic. Getty
    Hundreds of red roses have been planted at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to mark the deaths of more than 500,000 Covid-19 patients and protest against the country's response to the pandemic. Getty
  • A cemetery employee wearing personal protective equipment attends the burial of a Covid-19 patient in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. AFP
    A cemetery employee wearing personal protective equipment attends the burial of a Covid-19 patient in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. AFP

He gave few details about how they would get vaccines for those who have not been able to secure doses beforehand, but said that “we are currently negotiating with a company to provide one million vaccine doses against the coronavirus for the immunisation of those coming to the Fifa World Cup Qatar.

“Our primary goal in vaccinating the unvaccinated is to protect the public health of citizens and residents.”

Fifa and Qatar World Cup organisers had no immediate comment expanding on the prime minister’s remarks.

Qatar’s build-up to the World Cup since winning the Fifa vote in 2010 has been dogged by concerns about human rights violations and the treatment of the migrant workforce building the infrastructure, including eight stadiums.

But in Norway on Sunday, an extraordinary congress of the country’s football federation voted against boycotting the World Cup if the national team qualifies.

Some top-division clubs in Norway, such as Rosenborg and Tromso, and grassroots organisations, were among those advocating a boycott.

The Norwegian Football Association had recommended against it, instead preferring to push for more measures to improve discriminatory laws and conditions for the migrant workers.

At the vote, 368 delegates voted against the boycott, while 121 were in favour.

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TEST SQUADS

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.

'Laal Kaptaan'

Director: Navdeep Singh

Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain

Rating: 2/5

Muguruza's singles career in stats

WTA titles 3

Prize money US$11,128,219 (Dh40,873,133.82)

Wins / losses 293 / 149

Itcan profile

Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani

Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India

Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce

Size: 70 employees 

Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch

Funding: Self-funded to date

 

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com