Qatar will look to put its best foot forward when it hosts the World Handball Championship at the newly-developed city of Lusail.
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The tournament provides a chance for Qatar to show it can successfully manage a top-class event, as it prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Twenty-four teams will contest for a cup made of pure gold during the event that takes place between January 15 and February 1. France, Denmark and Spain are among the favourites and Qatar’s national team is predicted to make the quarter-finals.
But it is what happens off the handball court that is arguably far more important for Qatar’s sporting ambitions.
The tournament is an opportunity to reverse the negative press which has surrounded its sporting ambitions, said Simon Chadwick, professor of sports business strategy at Coventry University.
“The established perception needs to be changed and reversed,” he said.
“What Qatar needs is tangible proof that its strategy of investing in sport events is working.”
“The handball provides an opportunity for people to get to know Qatar for running high-profile sporting events rather than being a country in the desert with lots of money and accused over FIFA scandals,” Chadwick added.
It is the Lusail Multipurpose Hall which will provide that litmus test for Qatar’s aspirations. The opening ceremony, opening game, final and many of the major games will be played at the hall, a dome-like $300 million (Dh1.1bn) structure.
