Doha decked out in red dragons as world cup looms
QATAR has turned red, white and green in preparation for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of visitors to Doha over the next three weeks.
With image being everything to the host nation, no expense has been spared on covering the capital city with World Cup branding – but with just days to go until the tournament kicks off, workers are still working on some of main tournament focal points.
Among them is the Corniche area of Doha, where skyscrapers sit just behind the edge of the Persian Gulf.
Thousands are expected to line the promenade at the waterfront during the tournament, where the Fifa Fan Festival is taking place, with games being shown live and acts including DJ Calvin Harris performing for supporters.
And, despite being one of the smallest countries competing at the tournament, Wales is front and centre of everything.
Welsh flags are flying on buildings throughout Doha from restaurants to pharmacies, while the red dragon is flying on a number of art installations around the city.
Gareth Bale is also arguably the most prominent footballer chosen to cover one of many high-rise buildings in the Corniche, towering over fans below alongside the likes of Harry Kane, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk.
Rob Page’s squad have been busy exploring the city ahead of their Group B opener against the USA on Monday, with Bale, Ben Davies and Joe Rodon among those seen taking in the wealth of Wales branding around the city during a team walkabout.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, it has its own purposebuilt Host City Media Centre (HCMC) and it’s so vast it comes with its own shops, laundry service, gym and cinema screens.
Dominating the skyline in Msheireb, downtown Doha, the vast building has capacity for the world’s press and broadcast media, and is open 24 hours a day.
Due to the tournament being played in just one city, it means Doha will this week become a global media hub.
And as a result, the world’s media are being catered for in a building which is almost a city in itself.
A press conference room, studios, hot desks, IT support, photographer services, a media lounge and restaurant come as standard.
But the Doha HCMC also has table football, its own McDonald’s, a convenience store, a gym and five-a-side football facilities.
In its two cinema rooms, members of the press can watch World Cup games on big screens, meaning they don’t even have to go to the stadiums to write their match reports.
The centre’s hall for press conferences can accommodate more than 140 journalists but they will also be transmitted live.
Meanwhile, a Cardiff rapper has created an alternative soundtrack to Wales’ World Cup journey.
Long-time Bluebirds fan Triple S, who grew up in Llanishen, has been creating music for more than 20 years.
The 42-year-old said he felt he had to create a track to commemorate the historic moment.
Leading with themes of defiance and politics, Qualified touches on ongoing human rights issues in Qatar, particularly those relating to LGBT+ people and workers who lost their lives constructing the facilities to host the tournament.
Triple S said: “I think these [lyrics] are hugely important, because rap music in general goes the other way. You need more rappers to stand up and be counted on that front.”