Case study: What’s the best (kept) secret about FIFA’s 2022 World Cup™? The case of Qatar’s Generation Amazing program

Citation

Ekren, D. and Anagnostopoulos, C. (2023), "Case study: What’s the best (kept) secret about FIFA’s 2022 World Cup™? The case of Qatar’s Generation Amazing program", International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 570-582. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-08-2023-245

It has long been recognized that sport, as a grassroots and elite movement, facilitates the “development process” in various ways (Levermore, 2011). As Nicholson and Hoye (2008) explain in their book, sport plays an important role in peace-building, development, crime prevention, health promotion, gender empowerment and community building. Additionally, Thomas and Smith (2009) cite numerous arguments about how sport can become an important part of the reintegration and social integration processes for people with disabilities, whereas Zwahlen et al. (2018) emphasize that sport has a significant impact on immigrants as well as people from non-privileged backgrounds. At the same time, however, we should not disregard the problematic aspects of sport as an individual and social activity, let alone consider it to be a “magic elixir” (Inoue et al., 2011) or a panacea for all social ills (Kaplanidou, 2021). Coalter (2007), for instance, has been critical by highlighting the ineffectiveness of sport programs aimed at rebuilding communities, preventing and reducing social violence and educating and training young people.

Nonetheless, according to many of its advocates, sport demonstrates traits that significantly benefit development. Among its notable attributes are its ability to assist in the education process (literacy and attendance), promote health awareness (anti-obesity, psychological, etc.) and unify diverse and often competing communities by motivating, engaging and inspiring especially the younger people (Levermore, 2011). All this is often referred to as sport-for-development (SfD), which has been defined as “the use of sport to exert a positive influence on public health, the socialization of children, youths, and adults, the social inclusion of the disadvantaged, the economic development of regions and states, and on fostering intercultural exchange and conflict resolution” (Lyras and Welty Peachey, 2011, p. 311).

Depending on how much emphasis is placed on sport and/or developmental outcomes, Coalter (2010) suggested that SfD programs can be classified along a continuum: (a) Sport: in its traditional form, sport implies that it possesses fundamental developmental properties for its participants; (b) Sport-plus involves modifying sports (and sometimes combining them with other programs) to achieve broader developmental objectives and (c) Plus-sport uses sport as an enticement to encourage participants to participate in development activities (non-sport outcomes).

Either of these SfD programs increasingly falls under the broader social responsibility agendas of firms outside the sports ecosystem (Levermore, 2010). Indeed, several studies have empirically confirmed (see, for example, Anagnostopoulos et al., 2021; Bason and Anagnostopoulos, 2015; McDonald et al., 2009) what Smith and Westerbeek (2007) argued that corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are best developed and implemented through sport. As the World Business Council for Sustainable Development explains, CSR is a commitment by businesses to behave ethically, contribute to economic growth and improve the quality of life for employees, their families, their communities and society as a whole. Levermore (2010), however, identified some of the limitations involved in employing CSR through sport. For him, although the sporting context (especially when SfD occurs as part of major sports events) provides a platform for building partnerships between institutions that would not normally work together, this development is most often driven by the needs of the donor (business) rather than those of the community the program is supposed to serve.

These critical perspectives aside and given that sports events are examples of community-building strategies (Misener and Mason, 2009), this study aligns itself with previous literature (see, Levermore, 2011; Rowe et al., 2019) that put forward the conceptual links between CSR-based initiatives and SfD programs. It does so in the context of the FIFA men's [1] World Cup 2022, which, in 2010, was awarded to Qatar, thereby making it the first Arab nation to host one of the most popular and largest events in the world. A broader reform agenda and socio-economic development to turn Qatar into a modern country have been at the forefront of Qatar's national development plans since the bidding phase in 2009. A major goal of Qatar's vision for the World Cup was to develop innovative long-term legacy programs across four primary pillars: human, social, environmental and economic. In line with these grand legacy ambitions, this case study illustrates how sports event organizers (SEOs) are incorporating CSR programs for SfD purposes in a major sports event. It does so by drawing on the Generation Amazing (GA) program, the flagship CSR initiative of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ organizing committee (Amara and Ishac, 2021).

The remaining sections of this paper are organized as follows. We first offer an overview of sport development and tourism in regional and national settings within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Qatar more specifically. We then present the GA program as an illustrative example of a CSR through SfD program. As a result of the first author's extensive involvement in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 legacy program over the past seven years, we provide some insights and lessons learned (from within). In the future, it is hoped that these lessons and concrete recommendations will serve as a blueprint for CSR programs planned by SEOs, bidding nations, charitable foundations, and non-governmental organizations worldwide.

Regional and national settings about GCC and Qatar

The GCC countries' visions, development, sports, and tourism strategies summarized in Table 1 suggest that sports will be a focus of future efforts, with hosting international sporting events being one of their primary objectives in their tourism and sports strategies. This is in line with the wider effort to diversify the region's economy from a hydrocarbon-based economy to one based on services and knowledge.

The government's political will is essential to the creation of a sustainable sports events industry. A national vision, such as that set forth in the Qatar National Vision 2030, is essential for the country. Each of the GCC countries included in Table 1 has a long-term development strategy. A country's vision cascades down to the National Development Strategy (e.g. National Development Strategy, 2017–2022 for Qatar), which outlines initiatives and strategies to achieve that vision. There are sector-specific strategies, such as those for sports and tourism, that follow the national development strategy. Tourism and sports strategies are relevant in every GCC country, as outlined in Table 1. The sector-wide visions are then broken down at the organizational level, with each sporting body setting its own goals in alignment with national objectives. For example, Qatar's Olympic Committee (QOC) seeks to become a nation that brings the world together through sustainable sport development (QOC website). Sports for All is Oman's national sports strategy aimed at increasing participation in sports. A similar call for increased participation of youth and women in sports is made in Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

GCC countries listed here have identified sports as a potential area of promotion for the future, with hosting international sporting events one of their major priorities. It can be concluded that governments in the region are interested in promoting tourism and sporting events. Qatar, UAE and increasingly Saudi Arabia appear to be focusing more on hosting sporting events to drive tourism as a national strategy as compared to other countries. Efforts by governments in the region to shift from a hydrocarbon-based economy to a more service and knowledge-based one should be evaluated in the context of wider economic diversification efforts. Countries that maximize diversification opportunities will see the sports and tourism industries continue to grow and play a greater role in the future.

Generation amazing program

Overview

As part of Qatar's bid for the FIFA World Cup 2022, the bid committee developed a CSR program called GA in 2010, which aims to use football to create social change at the individual and community levels. The journey started in 2010 with the construction and rehabilitation of 18 pitches in Nepal, Pakistan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as the selection of 25 Youth Ambassadors to inspire youth in Qatar and beyond. As part of GA's commitment to investing in sports infrastructure in vulnerable communities, a football-for-development (F4D) component was added in 2014 in Jordan, Nepal and Pakistan in partnership with leading NGOs in the field, including Mercy Corps (Nepal) and Right to Play (Jordan, Nepal and Pakistan). In 2016, GA deployed its pilot local programing in Qatar across worker accommodations and schools, based on the GA F4D manual developed with the support of leading NGOs in the field. Using the theory of change exercise and the needs of the community, the GA manual has seven modules for local and international programs (see Figure 1).

GA's mission is to use the privileged position as FIFA World Cup host to build the capacity of “our generation, children and youth, with skills that they can use to improve and transform their communities.” Through the construction of community football pitches, the delivery of comprehensive F4D training and the introduction of capacity-building events and festivals involving young people across diverse communities, the GA program reached its target of 1,000,000 beneficiaries in 75 countries, including Qatar, Nepal, Jordan, the Philippines, India, Haiti and Rwanda.

Together with its founding organization and the main funder, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and working with leading global actors, NGOs and F4D organizations including the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), CONCACAF, Right to Play and Mercy Corps, the GA program uses football to promote peace, inclusion and encouraging cooperation across all cultures while supporting good health and well-being to instigate positive change in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Generation amazing charter

The GA chart below explains the four guiding pillars of the program.

1. Its focus on equality, inclusion and respect;

2. Universal rights of children and empowerment of youth to reach their potential;

3. Using the power of football to deliver positive social change and thus contributing to and

4. Creating active and united communities that thrive.

The GA charter is inspired and directly linked to global values identified in the UN SDGs and the UN Convention on the Rights for Child (UNCRC) and the Qatar National Vision 2030 and aspires to contribute to these target outcomes through football as shown in Table 2.

Generation amazing methodology

The GA program has embedded F4D to its core and designed its methodology to address the needs of the local communities instead of taking a prescriptive approach of applying one-size fits all theories across its countries of operation. The GA's new five-year strategy announced in 2019 laid out a clear plan toward a future vision of establishing the GA Foundation with sustainable programing that will last beyond the 2022 FIFA World Cup as a long-lasting legacy of the mega-event serving not only Qatar, but also the globe. It has two core strategies that aim to turn Qatar into an F4D hub of knowledge that has tangible benefits to Qatar, the region and the world through.

1. Establishing community clubs across the globe that are safe and inclusive places run by the community for the community, including F4D, but also other sporting and non-sporting activities to service the needs and challenges each community faces.

2. F4D Coaching training focused on supporting and developing youth leaders in receiving accredited GA F4D coaches' training to spread the positive benefits in their communities.

The GA program has been focusing on social cohesion and social inclusion as its primary goals and tackles prevalent social issues based on the local context and needs of the community, such as working with refugee children to address issues around social inclusion and social entrepreneurship in Lebanon and Jordan, increasing sports participation among youth through football-based skills sessions in Qatar, empowering women and girls and increasing their participation in football across Nepal, India, and the Philippines. To enable this, GA works across governmental agencies and internationally recognized NGOs and international development agencies that recognize the value of sports as a tool to foster development and peace to positively impact individuals, communities and the wider development goals of government and international organizations.

Generation amazing journey

The GA program has been transformed from a bid commitment to a CSR program of the Supreme Committee (SC) to a program that is developing the building blocks for a self-sustainable foundation that aims to last beyond the World Cup.

Modules for GA programs in Qatar and the GCC countries

1. Module 1: Inclusive Generation for Workers (Qatar);

2. Module 2: Inclusive Generation for Schoolchildren;

3. Module 3: Healthy Generation for Schoolchildren and

4. Module 4: Green Generation for Schoolchildren.

Modules for GA overseas programs

1. Module 5: Sustainable Football Pitches;

2. Module 6: Inclusive Generation Overseas: United Generation and

3. Module 7: Social Enterprise and Developing Social Entrepreneurs.

In 2018–2019, the GA program was expanded locally through a partnership with the Qatar Football Association (QFA) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE). With its implementing partner Street Football World and member NGOs in Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, Nepal, India, and Philippines, GA built or rehabilitated 27 pitches, recruited youth ambassadors, and hosted youth F4D festivals.

As part of GA's five-year strategy development process in 2019, the program was refocused on two core values of social cohesion and social inclusion aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. As part of the GA's commitment to youth, the organization has launched its first festival, Festival 2019, which will be followed by annual festivals until 2022. During the Festival, youth were engaged and inspired to learn about F4D programs and how they can affect their communities, cultural experiences, and social inclusion. As part of Festival 2019, 140 young leaders, ranging from 16 to 24 years old, were connected through capacity-building workshops, football matches, and most importantly, the opportunity to connect with other young leaders from around the world.

Generation amazing's impact in Qatar and beyond

Qatar and Oman school project

Developed in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) and QFA, GA uses the train-the-trainer model to train physical education teachers and QFA coaches to use football to teach life skills like respect, tolerance, social cohesion, communication and leadership in Qatar's 50 local and international schools. In 2019, the GA school project reached 19,000 students as direct and indirect beneficiaries and trained 78 and 114 physical education teachers in F4D, respectively. Building on the success of the GA Qatar school project, in 2019, this initiative was launched in 20 Omani public schools in partnership with the Omani Ministry of Education and SABCO Sports.

Qatar workers' project

GA offers weekly F4D sessions to more than 50,000 workers from 30 companies from 2016 to 2021 to give back to the workers who are helping build Qatar and FIFA World Cup 2022™ sporting infrastructure. The sessions teach life skills such as communication, teamwork, respect and leadership. As part of the GA program, more than 238 coaches from 20 countries became GA coaches and 20 ambassadors were selected to deliver our F4D methodology to their fellow workers across six accommodations in Qatar, as well as organizing regular events for workers communities such as sports festivals, tournaments, trainings and workshops. This program was successful primarily because it was designed to be delivered by workers. A 30-week program was implemented, in which the workers participated for 10 weeks. Coaches who expressed interest were given the opportunity to assist GA coaches during F4D sessions. Upon assessment by GA coaches and worker interest, they were selected as volunteer GA coaches to deliver sessions in worker accommodations after 20 weeks. The GA team then identified and selected the best GA coaches committed to using football as a tool to teach life skills and develop broader communities. As soon as their work contact was over, some of these advocates left Qatar and delivered F4D pilot programs in their own communities in Kerala, Punjab, India and Sri Lanka, as well as trained new F4D coaches to deliver the program to youth to ensure long-term sustainability. During the period 2016–2021, Bhulinder Singh, an advocate for GA, coordinated and coached F4D workshops for thousands of workers at Asian City in Qatar. He said, “Generation Amazing is empowering me to create opportunities for others as well.” Through the program, we become inspired to do more for others and to serve them better. We become leaders when we do this”. “A lot of what I learned and the confidence I developed as a GA advocate helped me meet new people and open doors to new opportunities,” says Inamul Hasan, a former participant who became an assistant coach and then a coach. As a result of participating in the Generation Amazing workers program, I have been able to avoid indulging in bad habits or anti-social behaviors as well”.

Goal 22

In partnership with the MOEHE, the Ministry of Sports and Youth (MOSY) and FIFA Foundation, Goal 22 is the GA's sport for development international exchange programs. The project is being supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The program brings together young leaders from around the world in Qatar for virtual and in-person training workshops led by GA's global delivery partners. Each of the 32 countries competing at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 TM has a delegation of students and teachers participating in the year-long program.

There are three phases of the program: students are guided through a journey of creating solutions to drive social change, with activities focusing on mental health, gender equality, sustainability, climate change, inclusion and youth leadership.

During Phase 1, schools will be able to learn about GA's F4D methodology using the World Cup as a case study and introduce regional success stories.

During Phase 2 of the project, students are invited to participate in educational and cultural activities to become agents of social change at the GA Youth Festival 2022, which takes place in Doha in November 2022.

The third phase runs from December 3, 2022 to August 20, 2023, when students, by using the knowledge and skills they gained, deliver their own educational workshops at their schools. Schools begin mapping opportunities to deliver F4D programing in local schools, clubs and academies with the support of local NGOs.

Lessons learned

The purpose of this section is to provide lessons learned from GA that can be applied to other social responsibility programs run by SEOs, institutions, foundations and non-profits. First, we'll discuss lessons learned we can apply to GA's programing across the board and then we'll discuss lessons learned specific to each program.

At an institutional level, lessons learned

1. In order to ensure GA programing reached target groups and delivered desired community impacts, GA built strong partnerships with local partners such as MOEHE, MOSY, QFA and Qatar Foundation (QF) as well as industry bodies such as FIFA and CONCACAF and expert implementation partners such as IFRC.

   • Challenges and recommendations: One of the main challenges was finding the right partners that GA could leverage to increase its reach and positive social impact in communities locally and internationally (as highlighted in the study by Liu, 2016). For Qatar partners such as MOEHE, MOSY, QFA and QF were ideal partners, we had to engage if we were to work in schools and with youth in Qatar. Once we identified the partners, the challenge then became finding the right persons within each organization to understand the unique offering of GA to teach life skills to youth through football. We would then utilize these “GA champions” in each organization to seek wider institutional support, which would eventually lead us to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between the senior management of the SC and other partner organizations. Once we had the buy-in from their senior management, partners would assign experts for us to plan and deliver the project together, as per our charter and methodology described above.

     Against all this, one must make sure influential gatekeepers and/or champions inside the partner organization are in place. These agents will ensure the necessary buy-in from senior management, particularly in the GCC context. Moreover, transparency is key. Let partners know about impacts delivered in each community and targets reach or expected to be reached in the short, medium and long term. In case of not reaching predetermined targets, let partners know what alternatives are in place for achieving these targets at the end. An example of this for GA was the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, in which we did not reach our targeted beneficiary numbers. We compensated for this with online sessions in schools that not only kept the GA program in schools going, keeping children active and engaged during the pandemic, but also managed to strengthen our relationship with our partners in finding new ways to serve youth.

2. With examples provided in this case study about MOEHE and PE teachers, GA focused on the development of the talent and skills of the local community and delivery partners in order to ensure the sustainability of the program.

   • Challenges and recommendations: A major challenge was converting our F4D methodology into sessions, lesson plans and an online toolkit that could easily be adapted by PE teachers for use in their schools and communities. To ensure long-term sustainability of any program, knowledge transfer is a key component. In order to capture this knowledge, it must first be written down and then reinforced with session plans, activities and videos that illustrate how each activity may be conducted. If you have an international program, it would be prudent to capture this information in an easily accessible online education portal where PE teachers, community coaches, administrators and advocates can access the information remotely to refresh their knowledge and plan session delivery. In order to maximize knowledge transfer, you should not solely rely on online content, but instead combine it with programs such as the GA festival to provide beneficiaries, staff and partners with opportunities for in-person interaction and learning.

3. The GA developed a robust monitoring and evaluation system that combines quantitative and qualitative assessments (e.g. surveys of coaches, students and advocates) in order to determine whether key learning outcomes have been achieved across different programs. As a means of highlighting the accomplishments and lessons learned, these data were compiled into a number of annual reports, including reports on the impact of the festival on students, workers and schools.

   • Challenges and recommendations: The biggest challenge has been that GA did not have an in-house monitoring and evaluation team of experts who could design and deliver a quantitative and qualitative set of assessments to measure the impacts. To overcome this challenge, GA worked closely with behavioral scientists from the Behavior for Development (B4D) team in Qatar to develop nudges and assessments to evaluate whether learning outcomes were being met in schools and workplaces. By designing a number of qualitative and quantitative experiments, B4D was able to measure the outcomes of the program and even improve them. As a result of one of the experiments, it was demonstrated that the session cards B4D introduced (small cards with a summary of the session plan and keywords intended to emphasize communication and teamwork) allowed coaches to deliver GA messaging and methodology more effectively. An additional experiment featured a puzzle with keywords from the GA session in some schools, where kids played with the puzzle to reinforce key messages when compared with schools without the puzzle. As a result of this success, puzzles were distributed in all schools in order to reinforce our key messages.

At program level, lessons learned

Qatar schools program

In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program, the main success of the project was the capacity building of PE teachers and administrators. As with the Qatari model, the Omani project relied on gradual upskilling of PE teachers in order for them to be able to deliver the GA F4D methodology on their own after two terms. During the first term of the program, coaches from SABCO (in Oman) and QFA (in Qatar) conducted observations with PE teachers. PE teachers co-deliver the course together with coaches from QFA and Sabco during term 2 and they deliver it independently during term 3. As part of the program, GA will provide schools and PE teachers with sports equipment and teacher toolkits that include session designs, videos and activities that teachers will be able to refer to in future sessions, which is crucial to the long-term sustainability of the project.

• Challenges and recommendations: When the school program was in its early stages, we relied heavily on a delivery partner to manage the program on our behalf and to communicate with schools, coaches and MOEHE. Due to the financial commitment, there was a lack of coordination between coaches and schools, and there was no direct communication with MOEHE and other partners to ensure continuous improvement of the program. Our reactions have been to build an internal team that has been capable of running the program on its own. As the lead coordinator for schools and coaches, we have been responsible for delivering training and establishing communication with the MOEHE. As a result, we were able to directly control the program and develop better relationships with our key partners, as well as to increase the number of schools from 24 to 50 in partnership with MOEHE and QFA. This, in turn, led PE teachers and school administrators to build their own capacity towards continuing to deliver the program beyond 2022 as a legacy of this mega-event.

Qatar workers program

In a similar manner to the school program, the workers program's success is rooted in the training of the trainer methodology, where workers develop into coaches and begin delivering F4D sessions to other workers over the course of a 30-week program. As a result, GA coaches and advocates gained an enormous amount of confidence, communication skills and leadership skills, which resulted in them initiating their own F4D projects in Qatar and abroad for wider community benefits.

• Challenges and recommendations: High turnaround among the worker population whereby trained coaches may be at the end of their contract and must return home. Against this, the program must be designed to train a continuous set of new coaches to ensure that there are enough personnel to sustain delivery on a weekly basis.

Festival and goal 22

Rather than providing a one-time event, the Festival and Goal 22 rely on the continuous engagement of young leaders. In each phase, as explained earlier, students and teachers initiate online activities and physical activities in the Youth Festival, followed by delivering their own F4D projects in the local community. By employing this model, the program impacts go beyond a single event, enabling it to drive F4D programing for the benefit of the local community.

• Challenges and recommendations: Having a diverse group of youths from 32 countries presents challenges in delivering workshops that are engaging and easily understood. Thus, it was important to design workshops that demonstrate value through action, teamwork, role-playing or through the game of football rather than long power-point presentations. As a result of this approach, not only do students benefit from learning by doing, but they are also able to overcome any language barriers that may be present when dealing with a diverse group of people who speak different languages and English as their second language.

Community clubs

A total of 41 community clubs and pitches have been built through partnerships with local non-profit organizations. Over a period of four years, GA built the capacity of NGOs and local communities and funded the project's operational costs. With the assistance of local partners, it introduces social entrepreneurship projects gradually to generate revenue to support the long-term viability of community clubs. After four years, it is expected that NGOs and local communities will be able to generate sufficient funds and volunteer capacity to maintain the pitch and club for continued community benefit.

• Challenges and recommendations: The long-term success of community clubs depends on NGOs and local communities maintaining their sporting infrastructures for the benefit of their members. Every club faces the challenge of generating funding to cover operational costs in the future. Against this challenge, and in order to ensure long-term success of community clubs, it is crucial for local partners to build capacity over a period of four years before full independence. Capacity building does not merely involve knowledge sharing in the field of F4D coaching, but also consists of introducing social entrepreneurship projects so that the community club can generate income streams to pay for its operational expenses, as well as generating future funding. It is also of paramount importance that the local partner cultivates a culture of volunteerism to help maintain the premise and provide coaching so that the community club continues to operate. In order to obtain funding or other value-in-kind benefits, local partners may need to request the support of the local government.

Concluding note

Several allegations of impropriety have been made in regard to Qatar's award of the World Cup and this has contributed to the negative framing of the country's World Cup hosting for more than a decade. The GA legacy Initiative enables tournament organizers and the country's government officials to engage in small-state diplomacy and peace-building (Rofe, 2022). Even though GCC countries are well aware of the GA program, it seems to be one of the best-kept secrets in the rest of the world. Hopefully, by providing a brief description of GA's key features here, the program's key features will become known around the world and provide lessons learned for organization on how to design and deliver CSR and S4D programing.

Figures

Figure 1

GA's journey

Table 1

Overview of GCC countries' visions on sport and tourism

GCC country	National development strategy	Sport strategy	Tourism strategy	Comments
Qatar	Qatar National Vision 2030	Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sports Sector Strategy 2011–2016 Culture and Sports Sector Strategy 2017–2022	Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030	The QTA tourism strategy and QOC sports sector include hosting high-profile sports events as the main area of focus for Qatar The Ministry of Culture and Sports (MOCS) was created in 2016 by merging the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. MOCS developed the Culture and Sports Sector Strategy seeks out to make sports and culture part of daily activities of Qatari youth
UAE	UAE Vision 2021 Dubai Plan 2021 Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030	Dubai Sports Council Strategic Plan 2011–2015 Abu Dhabi Sports Council	Tourism Vision 2020 Dubai Tourism Strategy 2020	Dubai Sports Council have been developing strategic plans since 2007 The Abu Dhabi Sports Council has an annual sports event calendar. One of the strategic priorities of the sports council is to create opportunities for sports tourism and host international tournaments
Kuwait	Kuwait National Development Plan	Sustainable Cities and Youth Strategy Public Authority for Sport	Supreme Commission for Tourism – Kuwait Tourism Strategy	Kuwait's Sustainable Cities and Youth Strategy promotes the integration of sports into urban planning and sustainable sports facilities. UNDP is supporting Kuwaiti Public Authority for Sport (PAS) in developing a “Sports for All’ strategy, increasing youth engagement number of sport facilities and increase in national participation in Olympic championships
Oman	Vision 2020 Oman 2040	Omani Sports Strategy 2009	Oman Tourism Strategy 2040	First Omani sports strategy was developed in 2009, its main pillar is “sports for all” to promote sport participation at all levels within the short to medium term In 2016, Oman developed a 25-year long-term tourism strategy that ties into the country's wider development vision of 2040
Bahrain	The Economic Vision 2030	Detailed Strategic Plan 2012–2016	Bahrain Tourism Strategy 2015–2018	The national youth strategy for Bahrain was developed in collaboration with the UNDP and the General Organization for Youth and Sport (GOYS) Bahrain to promote “Sports for All”
Saudi Arabia	Saudi Vision 2030	National School Sports Strategy	Tourism General Strategy	The National School Sports Strategy is an initiative led by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia to increase youth and women's participation in sports and does not include aspects of hosting sporting events related to the industry. The revised tourism strategy in 2014, implemented by the Supreme Commission for Tourism, mainly focused on religious tourism, but most recently, in 2019, opened the country's international tourism

Source(s): Authors' own creation

Table 2

Generation amazing charter: four guiding pillars and its linkages to UN SDGs

1. Equality, inclusivity and respect	2. The universal rights of children	3. Power of football to provide hope and deliver positive social change	4. Creation of active and united communities that thrive
Promote gender equality and maximize female participation (UNSDG 5)	No child should be treated unfairly on any basis (UNCRC 2)	Promote physical activity to encourage healthy living (UNSDG 3)	Creating economic opportunities and inspiration within local communities (UNSDG 1 and 8)
Embrace inclusivity irrespective of sex, religion, race, or age (UNSDG 10)	Every child to feel safe, relax, and play in a supportive and nurturing environment (UNCRC 31)	The requirement for all football coaches to be trusted role models	The right of everyone to feel that they belong
The importance of universal respect (UNCRC 12)	Empowerment of young people to reach their potential (UNSDG 5)	The positive impact of sport on every member of the community	The essential role of volunteers is to bring people together
Empower women to become active members of the community (QNV 2030)			Participation in sporting activities (QNV 2030)

Source(s): Table based on Generation Amazing Charter

Notes

1. From this point, all references made to the FIFA World Cup specifically pertain to the men's version of the tournament.