World Cup Qatar chief says event will benefit Gulf region

CEO seeks to dispel concern over country's LGBTQ policy, migrant worker rights

20221117 Nasser Al Khater - Approved Photo

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 CEO Nasser Al Khater: "Qatar is a trailblazer in the region."

NESREEN BAKHEIT, Nikkei staff writer

DUBAI -- The FIFA 2022 World Cup kicking off in Doha on Sunday is set to be the biggest sporting event ever held in the Middle East, adding billions of dollars to the Qatari economy.

But the event has also been dogged by controversy. Allegations of vote-buying emerged shortly after FIFA, soccer's governing body, awarded Russia and Qatar the rights to consecutive World Cups in 2010. Meanwhile, activists and others have raised concerns over Qatar's policies toward the LGBTQ community and its treatment of migrant workers.

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