Mario Vázquez Raña, former IOC member, president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and publisher, has died aged 82. 

A member of the IOC from 1991 to 2012, Vázquez Raña played a central role in promoting sport and the Olympic Movement in his home nation of Mexico, the Americas and around the world. 

“Mario Vázquez Raña dedicated a great part of his life to Olympic sport”, said IOC President Thomas Bach. “He served over decades with great commitment as President of PASO, even until his last moments.”

He headed the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) from 1979 to 2012, and was chairman of the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO) from 1975 until his death – during which time he has also president and director of Latin America’s largest newspaper company, Organización Editorial Mexicana. 

Vázquez Raña was also president and director general of Cartones Ponderosa from 2001-2015, owner of United Press International from 1985 to 1988 and president of the board of directors of the Hermanos Vázquez Company from 1960 to 1980. 

A keen sportsman, Vázquez Raña participated in shooting competitions at the national and international level, going on to become president of the Mexican Shooting Federation (1969-1974) and the American Shooting Confederation (1973-1979). He was also vice-president of the Mexican Sports Confederation (1973-1976) and president of the Mexican National Olympic Committee (1974-2001).

Vázquez Raña’s roles within the IOC included appointments as Executive Board member, Chairman of Olympic Solidarity (2002-2012) and president of the Organising Committee for the 114th IOC Session in Mexico City (2002). 

He was also a member of a number of IOC Commissions: Olympic Movement (1990-1999); Preparation of the XII Olympic Congress (1990-1994); Apartheid and Olympism (1990-1992); IOC 2000 Executive Committee (1999); Marketing (2000); IOC 2000 Reform Follow-up (2002); and 2009 Congress (2009-2010).

“He had outstanding merit within the Olympic Movement and we will always remember him as a great Olympic leader. The Olympic flag at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne will be flown at half-mast in his honour,” said president Bach. 

The IOC also expressed its deepest sympathies to Mario Vázquez Raña’s family.

SportAccord Convention is pleased to announce its collaborative partnerships for this year’s edition taking place from 19-24 April 2015 at the Sochi Expocentre in Russia. The World Sport & Business Summit is the foremost global gathering owned by sport.

Gold Partners include: The Combat and Strength Sports Confederation of Kazakhstan; Macau Sport Development Board who are supporting the Convention for the eighth consecutive year; as well as Sport Event Denmark who are also returning this year.

Silver Partners include: Aggreko, City of Edmonton, Eurosport, EventScotland and Qatar Olympic Committee, with the Commonwealth Games Federation joining once again as a Bronze Partner.

Euronews will be supporting the Convention in 2015 and continue to generate buzz around the SportAccord Member sports with the Sports United weekly-show in conjunction with SportAccord. Additionally, Taishan Sports Equipment Company, who signed a ground-breaking partnership agreement with SportAccord, will be in attendance too.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord Convention said, “As the Convention broadens its role, it is important to encourage involvement from both the sport and industry sectors. We’re pleased that our committed partner organisations, new and existing, will be working with us to deliver a rewarding Convention for our delegates.”

The World Sport & Business Summit creates a unique opportunity for exchange between key decision-makers from International Sports Federations and business leaders from innovative and fast-growing companies across more than 20 industries.

The SportAccord Convention Conference Programme promises to encourage lively discussion with ‘Legacy’ being this year’s theme. Panel discussions include debate on: The truth about Legacy; and addressing current issues including: The Sporting Future Today – How technology is changing the game plan.

"There are so many important areas of interest for our attendees, and during this Conference Programme, we can focus on the specific implications for International Sport Federations and the wider Sport Family." noted Nis Hatt.

Presentations delivered by leading experts will spotlight trends and opportunities, including: The Athlete Brand and Role Model Revolution; as well as covering issues around sport morality, social responsibility, transparency and authenticity when it comes to managing an organisations’ reputation before it becomes the legacy.

Nis Hatt concluded by saying: “The SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit provides a unique platform for bringing together the world of sport and industry.”

For further information about SportAccord Convention or to reach Partner Organisations, please contact Jenny Edmondson, Media Relations Officer:Jenny.Edmondson@sportaccordconvention.com Tel: + 44 203 289 1690

The 2019 Netball World Cup will be hosted in Liverpool, England Netball announced yesterday. 

“England put in a strong bid and we are confident that they will deliver an outstanding event in an excellent venue in the city of Liverpool,” said the Hon. Molly Rhone, OJ, CD, president of the International Netball Federation (INF), which owns the rights to the tournament.

“It is an exciting time for netball right now, which is growing at an unprecedented rate throughout the world.  We look forward to seeing this growth continue to soar and to working with the organising committee in bringing the INF’s most important event to England in 2019.”

This will be the third time that England has hosted the competition in its 56-year history. Previous locations include Birmingham in 1995 and the very first staging of the tournament in Eastbourne, 1963.

“Having worked with Liverpool to host major global tournaments previously, we have a proven track record of being able to stage such a prestigious event and we look forward to welcoming the netball world to the North-West, said Joanna Adams, CEO of England Netball.

“On behalf of England Netball, I would like to thank all parties who worked with us on securing this bid.

“This is a massive tribute to the wonderful army of volunteers who have helped us to grow the game in our country. Without their support we would never have been in a position to bid for, let alone win, the rights to host a Netball World Cup.”

The 2019 Netball World Cup forms part of UK Sport’s Gold Event Series, which is investing around £40million of National Lottery funding to attract events to Great Britain.

“Through the Gold Event Series the UK is building an international reputation for staging world class major sporting events with its compelling mix of state-of-the-art facilities, great infrastructure and technical know-how as well as its army of experienced volunteers,” said Liz Nicholl, chief executive of UK Sport and a former Chief Executive of England Netball. 

“Netball is thriving with unprecedented growth in participation, support from sponsors and exposure in the media.  Add to this the Government’s strong commitment to promoting women’s sport, and I really do believe that Liverpool offers the perfect platform to help the International Netball Federation develop and grow this fantastic sport, not just in England but globally."

The venue will be the ACC Liverpool, which hosted the World Netball Series in 2011. The World Heritage waterfront site includes the Echo Arena as the competition venue, the Exhibition Centre as the athlete training venue and the BT Convention Centre, which will host the INF Congress.

A new four-star Pullman hotel on the ACC Liverpool site, will be the official INF event hotel.

"The stunning ACC Liverpool will be the perfect stage for the event and we are looking forward to welcoming a global audience of competing nations and putting on a show the sport can be truly proud of," said Joe Anderson, mayor of Liverpool.

VINCI Stadium has been appointed to manage the former Olympic Stadium at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for a 25 year period, starting before the England 2015 Rugby World Cup. 

The deal with London is VINCI’s first stadium contract outside France. 

The contract was awarded by E20, a joint venture between the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council. 

“The E20 Stadium LLP awarded the contract to run the former Olympic Stadium to VINCI Stadium in recognition of VINCI's expertise and the business model it has developed for the operation of multi-purpose arenas, including the Stade de France,” said Pierre Coppey, Chief Operating Officer of VINCI.

“In addition to broadening the range of events offered at this amazing venue, VINCI Stadium will work with the E20 Stadium Partnership to develop and revitalise East London for the benefit of citizens.”

The venue, designed by Populous in a modular way that enables it to be repurposed for legacy use, is currently being transformed into a multi-use stadium. 

“This marks another step forward in the long-term future of the Stadium. VINCI have a great track record and a wealth of experience in managing world-class venues,” said David Goldstone, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation. 

“We are looking forward to working with them and delivering a multi-use stadium capable of hosting a range of different sports and events, including this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.”

The stadium will host five matches of Rugby World Cup 2015, starting with France vs. Romania on 23 September and ending with the bronze final match on 30 October.

The venue will not fully reopen until 2016. Premier League football club West Ham United are to take up tenancy of the stadium, which will also act as the national competition venue for UK Athletics.

VINCI Stadium currently operates a network of stadia in France including the Stade de France in Paris, the Allianz Riviera in Nice, the New Bordeaux Stadium and the MMArena in Le Mans. 

The Olympic stadium is currently being transformed into a multi-use venue. It will host five matches of Rugby World Cup 2015 before fully re-opening in 2016 when it will become the home of West Ham United.

“Managing the basic day-to-day operations at a Premier League football stadium is a unique challenge, so we will be passing on our extensive experience and expertise to Vinci to ensure they provide the same high levels of service our supporters have become accustomed to at the Boleyn Ground,” said Karren Brady, vice-chairman of West Ham United.

“While Vinci will manage the functional aspects of the matchday operation, we will still be overseeing the overall supporter experience to make sure watching West Ham remains one of the very best days out in the Premier League.”

The stadium will also be the national competition venue for UK Athletics and will be the venue for the IAAF 2017 World Athletics Championships and 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships.

"The Olympic Stadium will be the new home of British Athletics, staging a wide range of events from mass participation runs to elite track and field meetings,” said Ed Warner, chairman of UK Athletics and London 2017.

“We look forward to working closely with VINCI to deliver all of these events, and in particular the twin World Championships in the summer of 2017, in London's most iconic sporting venue."

As well as running the stadium, VINCI will manage the London Marathon Charitable Trust Community Track and events on the south park lawn, below the ArcelorMittal Orbit. 

They will also work with the E20 Stadium Partnership to promote sport and healthy living in the local area and deliver mass participation events such as the Great Newham London Run.

“This is more good news in our goal to deliver a long-lasting legacy from London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Boris Johnson, mayor of London.

“VINCI is a world-class operator and set to be a key partner in the creation of a spectacular stadium offering a dynamic range of sport and attractions for Londoners to enjoy.”

5,500 tonnes of steel and 6km of cabling are being used in the transformation of the stadium. The 14 floodlight panels were removed to make way for the new roof. 

During renovation, the existing running track is being protected by a 75cm deep mat of recycled concrete.

The rebuilt Olympic Stadium will include 21,000 retractable seats, which are said to allow closer pitch-side viewing during football matches while allowing the running track to remain in place.

Full capacity will be 54,000 seats in football mode, 60,000 in athletics and 80,000 for concerts.

Alongside the main stadium, a new floodlit 400m community athletics track, funded by the London Marathon Charitable Trust will be built for use by the local community, schools and will host a resident athletics club – the Newham & Essex Beagles. 

Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales said “We look forward to working with VINCI to ensure the Stadium is a world class visitor attraction that delivers job opportunities, community benefits and increased sports participation that transforms the lives of those living in London’s East End, but especially the residents of Newham.”

Presidential candidate HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan produced his most vocal attack on the leadership of FIFA on Tuesday, setting out his stall to fix the tarnished reputation of football’s global governing body.

He spoke of a “culture of intimidation” within FIFA, where people can be punished for standing up for principles. 

Challenging Sepp Blatter and the other two candidates, Michael van Praag and Luis Figo, to a public debate in the run up to the election, he said he hopes the presidential election will be conducted fairly. 

Prince Ali plans to meet soon with van Praag, who he says he admires, and his friend Figo, to discuss strategy and said he would welcome the opportunity to work with them as a team.

He also said he will forsake his seat on FIFA’s Executive Committee if he does not win the election, as he is not prepared to work any longer under the current leadership.

Continental support

Speaking in London to a select group of media including HOST CITY, he revealed the names of the five national football associations from three continents that have nominated him to stand.

“The countries are Belarus, Malta, England, Jordan, USA – and so I’ve very happy with that – and of course Georgia,” he said. 

“These nominations are from three different confederations, which I am very happy with.” 

It has been widely reported that FIFA’s continental confederations tend to vote as blocs, and that incumbent FIFA president Sepp Blatter has the support of five out of the six confederations. 

However, Prince Ali downplayed the power of confederations in the election process. “This is not a question of confederations – this is a national association vote for the presidency of FIFA and I don’t think that any confederation is necessarily united in that respect.

“I don’t think anyone has a ‘stranglehold’ on any confederation; I think it’s up to member associations to decide.”

He also said the calls for reform are widespread. “I don’t think that it’s just in Europe that there are concerns about FIFA. I see that, having been in South America, in Asia and in Africa and I think it’s time now to make that change.”

A “culture of intimidation”

Addressing speculation that the leadership of the Asian Football Confederation, of which Jordan is a member, has not backed his bid, Prince Ali said “There is a culture of intimidation within FIFA but, having said that, this is a candidacy for the whole world.

“This is a world issue and not just about confederations.”

Pressed on what he meant by “intimidation”, he said “In the past if people take a principled stand, they end up being possibly punished for it.”

Observers have suggested that a strategy is underway to challenge Blatter via an early multi-pronged attack that could switch to supporting a single challenger.

However, Prince Ali welcomed the other candidates. 

“It’s very good that there is more than one candidate and it’s also emblematic of people’s desire to have a positive future. I look forward to meeting with them as soon as possible. 

“Luis Figo is a friend of mine, I know him very well. Michael can Praag is also somebody who I admire and respect a lot, so I would like to sit them down and have a good and honest discussion about how they see things.”

Asked about whether a joint candidacy might even be a possibility, he said: “That does not fall within our statutes, but I would be very welcome to have support and work as a team and with everybody for the future of football. 

“We need to be centralised a bit and we need to give everybody a role and we need to come up with a new way of conducting the sport, from the bottom up.”

Building on a his core message of transparency, he said “I would like to see before the election a public debate, including the incumbent, so that everybody knows across the world what our positions are. I’m ready to do it.”

Rebuilding trust

Widespread concern over allegations of corruption in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has had a negative impact on FIFA, with a number of sponsors having dropped their support in recent months. 

“There are many complaints obviously, in particular the reputation of FIFA and where it’s at right now,” he said.

“I am there to rebuild trust in our organisation and that doesn’t include only in our national associations but all stakeholders." 

Asked about how this could be achieved, he said “FIFA needs to include everyone – including yourselves, members of the press. 

“You need to have a long-term plan that does not change based on the whims of a president, and based on real decisions that are conducted with all stakeholders in the game – and fix our reputation. That’s the way I’ve always worked.”

Central to the challenges facing FIFA is the controversial way in which Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup. Asked if he would consider stripping a country of its hosting rights, he said “First of all I believe that every single association has the right to host the World Cup, regardless of their size and so on. 

“Having said that, I was one of the first to ask for the Garcia report to be made public. Because this is a world game and everyone needs to understand what is going on – that is transparency in its essence. 

“The problem really lies in how things took place: for example the double bid. We need to know why that happened. If Qatar had another four years to prepare their bid in a proper way, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Prince Ali was also drawn into pointing the finger directly at Sepp Blatter for the crisis of trust in FIFA.

“Blatter has been president and definitely the president needs to be held personally responsible for what happens; and if I am president I certainly will take responsibility for all actions at FIFA.

“I have a lot of respect for what he’s done in the past, but if we talk about proper reform I am not confident that I’ve seen it. 

“He’s had the chance to do so; we’ve had Mark Peith’s report, which was never in my opinion shown. We’ve also had promises from him that he would not run again – but obviously that was not the case. 

“In full honesty and integrity, he should give the chance to others such as myself.”

Presidency or out

Prince Ali also announced his plans to leave the FIFA Executive Committee if he does not become president of FIFA.

“I have been on the Executive Committee for the last four years and I understand what has been going on,” he said.

“I have always tried to reform FIFA as best I can from the inside, but having said that I do believe the way to go ahead is to run for the presidency itself.”

“My total commitment is running for the presidency of FIFA. I’m not going to sit through another four years of what’s been going on and the only way to change it is from the top."

Despite his core message of a lack of transparency within FIFA’s administration, he remains hopeful that the election process can be conducted fairly and that he can win the election.

“I think I have my reputation, I am where I am and I just hope that things work out in that way, that it’s fair and it’s honest."

The presidents of FIFA's member associations will elect their president on May 29th.

“It’s long campaign, so I don’t think anyone should be written off. Globally there is a desire for change and I am committed to that.

“If things are played fair and rightly, things will grow in the appropriate way.”

Five more European broadcasters have signed contracts with the Baku European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC). 

The new deals, with public broadcasters RTVE (Spain), ERR (Estonia), LTV (Latvia), RTV Slovenija (Slovenia), and subscription-based Sport TV (Portugal), mean that the first European Games will be broadcast in at least 47 countries. 

More than one billion viewers worldwide will now be able to watch Baku 2015 on television.

“It is important that as many people as possible are able to share in the inaugural edition of the European Games this summer,” said Simon Clegg, chief operating officer of Baku 2015.

“With 130 days to go until the Opening Ceremony, these new deals are a great step in achieving that aim.”

The contracts include daily coverage commitments or a minimum number of sport competition hours to be screened during the Games. 

Spain’s RTVE will screen the opening and closing ceremonies live, as well as providing extended competition coverage throughout the Games. 

The network will also air a series of ‘Road to Baku’ programmes focusing on preparations for Baku 2015, while Sport TV will cover the Games on a dedicated 24-hour channel to be broadcast in their home market of Portugal, as well as in Mozambique and Angola.

RTV Slovenija, Latvia’s LTV and Estonia’s ERR have also committed to extensive coverage of the Games. 

“These agreements will bring the inaugural European Games to tens of millions of viewers across Europe and beyond,” said Charlie Wijeratna, commercial director of Baku 2015.

“All of these broadcasters are Olympic rights holders for Rio 2016, and bring with them a wealth of experience in broadcasting major sports events.

“A key part of Baku 2015’s commercial offering has been our ability to secure broadcast agreements, and I’m delighted that we’re continuing to deliver on this objective. This announcement shows that we are continuing to raise the profile of the event across the continent.”

Baku 2015 will take place from 12 – 28 June 2015, featuring 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition.

Eleven of the sports will offer qualification opportunities for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Those sports include Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Cycling, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Triathlon, Volleyball and Wrestling.

The BEGOC will organise and run the Games in cooperation with the European Olympic Committees (EOC), who awarded Baku the Games in December 2012.

Toronto’s sports venues are set to be packed out in July, with many of the highest profile events of the Pan American Games selling out fast. 

Tickets for the Opening Ceremony have already sold out while the men’s football (soccer) gold medal game is experiencing some of the highest demand.

Other events for which tickets are keenly sought after include the medal rounds for aquatics, track cycling, BMX, canoe/kayak slalom, beach volleyball and equestrian jumping, where few tickets remain available.

Organisers also expect the men’s baseball and basketball gold medal matches to be packed out, with just a few tickets left on sale. 

“Tickets to see those memorable medal moments are selling quickly,” said Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015). 

275,000 tickets to the Pan Am Games have already been sold to sports fans paying upwards of US$16 per ticket. 

“The numbers are beyond our expectations — especially since we haven’t yet announced when Team Canada will be playing, not to mention the countless athletes from across the Americas who are still in the process of qualifying for the Games.

“That said, it was no surprise that the available tickets to our Opening Ceremony, produced by Cirque de Soleil, went fast. It’s sure to be an unforgettable night.”

Other popular events include the athletics track and field 100m finals and 4x100m finals, the rugby sevens finals, the beach and indoor volleyball finals and the closing ceremony, with entertainment provided by Live Nation.

“The Games are a once-in-a-generation chance to see our most elite summer Games athletes compete on home soil and to be part of the high-energy crowd who will be cheering them on and singing our anthem together,” said Rafi.

The sales campaign for the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games starts in spring 2015. From 7-15, August, some of the world’s best para-athletes will be competing for their chance to go to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The presidents of the world’s 209 Football Associations will elect the president of FIFA at the FIFA Congress on 29 May. 

With FIFA’s continental “confederations” holding great sway over voting intentions, and with all of these confederations bar UEFA said to be supporting Sepp Blatter, the incumbent president looks set to secure a historic fifth term. 

Candidates must state their intention to run for president on 29 January, with the support of five nominating member associations. Are there any serious challengers in the mix?

Sepp Blatter

Nationality: Swiss

Age: 78

Announced campaign: 26 September, 2014

Core message: Says he is on a mission to complete the reform process initiated in 2011

Strengths: FIFA President since 1998, seeking a fifth term. Retains strong support of the majority of FAs outside Europe. Five of FIFA’s six continental Confederations are said to be backing Blatter: AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and Carribean), CONMEBOL (South America) and OFC (Oceania).

Challenges: FIFA enduring external pressures and the emergence of Prince Ali of Jordan as a challenger demonstrates that internal discontent is not limited to Europe.

Jerome Champagne

Nationality: French

Age: 56

Announced campaign: 26 September, 2014

Core message: To remove elitism and global imbalance from the administration of football.

Strengths: Says he is close to gaining the five required nominations.

Challenges: Time is running out and a host of other, more outspoken candidates have emerged.

Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein

Nationality: Jordanian

Age: 39

Announced campaign: 6 January 2015

Core message: Reform of FIFA, increasing transparency. 

Strengths: Experience as vice president of FIFA, president of Jordanian Football Association and president of West Asian Football Federation. Has backing of the English FA. The only challenger to Sepp Blatter from outside Europe.

Challenges: Has yet to confirm whether he has the number of nominations required. His message of reform is echoed by those of other candidates who have since entered the race. 

David Ginola

Nationality: French

Age: 48

Announced campaign: 16 January 2015

Core message: To restore democracy, transparency and equality to FIFA

Strengths: Has the support of pressure group ChangeFifa but has yet to declare the support of any FAs.

Challenges: Ginola’s campaign is financially supported by bookmaker Paddy Power, yet FIFA rules prohibit candidates “being associated with betting, gambling, lotteries and similar events”. 

Michael van Praag

Nationality: Dutch

Age: 67

Announced campaign: 26 January 2015

Core message: To normalise, modernise FIFA and regain public trust. Presenting himself as the only credible opponent to Blatter.

Support: Has the required five nominations, including support from Scotland.

Challenges: Other European candidates offering a message of reform and transparency could split the vote, if they gain the required nominations. Support outside Europe is limited.

Luis Figo

Age: 42

Nationality: Portuguese

Announced campaign: 28 September 2015

Core message: To repair FIFA’s public image.

Support: Has the required 5 nominations.

Challenges: A recently retired footballer, he lacks experience in football administration.

New security threats are emerging, but football is failing to take on board the experiences of other major events.

To tackle this growing problem, international standards are needed to train and educate sport safety and major event security managers, according to Helmut Spahn, director general of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS). 

“Training and educating those who look after our safety and security in sport is a major responsibility for any major event organiser or sport venue operator. However, at the moment, it is clear that many clubs, leagues and associations do not provide enough opportunities for their safety and security managers to learn from other sports and major events,” he told delegates at the European Stadium and Safety Management Association (ESSMA) Summit.

To encourage the development of an international standard in training and educating within the sport safety and security management industry, the ICSS has developed the first International Advanced Studies Programme on Sport Safety and Security Management with SRH University Heidelberg.

“With many new and emerging threats now facing sport, as good practice the ICSS would encourage clubs, leagues and associations across all sports to enrol on courses like this and provide more opportunities for their safety and security workforce to learn about emerging trends and techniques developing within the industry.”

The ESSMA Summit, hosted in Munich on 27th and 28th January 2015, was supported by the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), European Club Association (ECA) and the ICSS. 

The conference attracted delegates from FC Barcelona, FIFA, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid CF, Arsenal FC, Wembley, Manchester United, Liga de Futbol Profesional, ACF Fiorentina, AS Monaco FC and Dallas Cowboys.

“The challenge of securing major sport events and international venues has never been greater and once again the ICSS has added considerable knowledge and experience to the event, as well as their cutting-edge expertise in sport safety and security. This has been of enormous benefit to our members,” said Dimitri Huygen, managing director of ESSMA.

“The ICSS is continuing to play an important and active role in leading the development of the sport safety and security industry. On behalf of ESSMA, I look forward to continuing our work with the ICSS, as well as other organisations including the ECA and EPFL.”

The uncertainty surrounding the timings of the 2022 World Cup is set to continue until 24th February and the country is able to host at any time of year, according to the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC). 

The World Cup traditionally takes place during the northern hemisphere’s summer months, during which the European football leagues take a break.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Abraham Al Khalifa of Bahrain’s earlier this week asserted that the World Cup would take place in the winter, preferably November and December 2022, and that "the matter is resolved."

But Nasser Al-Khater, the executive director of communications and marketing at the Qatar 2022 SC is reported to have said a press conference at the Doha’s Aspire Zone: "Look, first and foremost we are confident of hosting the World Cup anytime of the year. 

“It is also no secret that the peak tourism timing is November and December.”

According to Inside World Football, Al Khater said “There is a meeting of the task force on the 24th of February. What we understand is that a final decision will be recommended during that meeting. It's the last meeting of the task force to discuss a winter or a summer World Cup."

Qatar’s summer months reach blistering heats of over 50 degrees centigrade and many observers have commented on the risks of hosting football matches in these conditions. 

The SC says it has the cooling technology to overcome these challenges. 

“We believe the methods and principles [of cooling] are a solution for many countries that will host the World Cup and other events in the future,” Al Khater said.

“Utilising this technology on such a large scale and having to think outside the box, we are really providing optimal climate conditions."

The SC also told press that Qatar’s venue infrastructure projects are on schedule, with five stadiums under construction and two more set for an imminent design launch. 

Al Khater also faced questions about FIFA’s investigations into the manner in which Qatar was elected as World Cup host.

"It's important to highlight it's an investigation into the bidding process of 2018/2022, but also into individuals," he said.

"Everyone coins it as an investigation into Qatar, which is absolutely false and incorrect. We are happy with judge Eckert's conclusion. At times it was a bit harsh, but, you know this is a World Cup and you will always have criticism and negativity."