Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Fans have to be vaccinated anyway
Does Qatar want vaccinations for World Cup stars too?
The 2022 World Cup is one of the most controversial tournaments in world sport. For a long time it was primarily about the human rights situation in the Gulf state, now rigid measures to contain the pandemic are also being discussed. Apparently, Qatar is only hoping for vaccinated athletes.
The controversial World Cup in Qatar in winter 2022 could be canceled for stars unwilling to vaccinate: According to information from the portal “The Athletic”, the hosts are urging that the participating athletes should also be vaccinated against Covid-19. The golf nation has already announced that the tournament participants will have to be fully vaccinated in November and December of next year.
The world association FIFA has so far only made non-binding comments on the sensitive issue: “In view of the Covid 19 pandemic, Qatar, as the host country, will take the necessary safety precautions to protect the health and safety of all tournament participants,” a FIFA spokesman told ” The Athletic “. “All participants must follow the travel advice of the Qatari authorities and the latest guidelines from the Ministry of Public Health. Detailed information about the Covid-19 security measures will be communicated to all participants in the run-up to the competition.”
Talks between stakeholders, including FIFA and the Qatari health authorities, would continue to seek an amicable solution. Various options are being discussed for this, including the alternative solution that players could also submit a negative corona test every three days. A World Cup in which staunch opponents of vaccination are not allowed or unwilling to take part is neither in the interests of the host nor in the interests of FIFA, whose premium product is causing serious image problems due to the ongoing protests against human rights violations in Qatar. In the major competitions that took place during the pandemic, extensive exemptions from entry restrictions and quarantine regulations were and are usually valid for professional athletes.
“Protecting Public Health”
So far it is only clear that the emirate only wants fully vaccinated fans in the country and in the stadiums. “Due to the possibility that some countries will not be able to vaccinate all of their citizens, Qatar will refuse entry to the stadiums for fans who do not have full vaccination against the coronavirus,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani quoted by state media in June. “We are currently negotiating with a company to provide a million doses of vaccine against the coronavirus to immunize those coming to Qatar for the World Cup,” said Sheikh Khalid. “Our primary goal in vaccinating the unvaccinated is to protect the public health of citizens and residents.” Qatar will “deny access to the stadiums to fans who do not have complete vaccination against the coronavirus.”
Qatar has so far given more than 4.6 million doses of vaccine, enough to vaccinate about 82 percent of the country’s population – one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. Also because the emirate is so densely populated, great importance is attached to protection against Covid-19. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had announced that “we will hopefully be able to hold a Covid-free World Cup. We also hope that the situation in the global pandemic will soon improve and that it will disappear completely.”