- Title: Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid chief highlights human rights progress
- Date: 3rd December 2024
- Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (DECEMBER 3, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, SAYING: “I think, there's been, 12 World Cups in Europe. Five World Cups in South America. There's been a World Cup in Africa and only two in Asia. I think this is a region that is very much hungry for more - to do more in football. And Saudi Arabia is at the very centre, the epicentre of all of this. The passion we have for the game, but also the love we have for the game. It's a different proposition. What Saudi Arabia is today is a different baseline to any other country. We're very much proud of how far we've come since the launch of the vision in 2016. We have so much to give. It's a young population. Over 60% of the population are under 30. The energy here is unreal. The passion for football here has so much history. The league (Saudi Pro League) is going to new levels. I think this will be a true celebration of the most remarkable transformation story.” WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, ON WHEN THE CUP WOULD BE HOSTED AND ALCOHOL, SAYING: “The football calendar is a FIFA decision together with the confederations and the leagues. And they've decided what the football calendar looks like between now and 2030. We are committed to having a conversation with FIFA, the leagues and the different confederations on what the football calendar will be beyond 2030. We're committed to deliver the tournament in the most appropriate timing. So, that's a conversation we would be more than happy to take with the appropriate stakeholders, but it's also appropriate to take with the right decision-makers. On the question of alcohol, as you mentioned, I think today what you see in Saudi Arabia is an environment that is family-friendly, safe and secure – something that people can actually enjoy on and off the pitch. And that's a value proposition that's unique. I think there's so much to discover, so much to uncover, whether it's culture, art, music, food. Saudi Arabia is well and truly one of the most exciting places to be and one of the most enjoyable as well.” WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, ON ALCOHOL SALES, SAYING: “We’ve had over 100 global sporting events that already have taken place in Saudi Arabia. No alcohol was served in those tournaments. Yet, we had 3 million sports fans come in and enjoy those tournaments that have come and come again. We have a football league that is popular week in, week out. We have tourism sites that are unique Al-‘Ula, the Red Sea and the beautiful Diriyah. All of these sites are waiting for people to come and experience. So, I think there's something greater for people to achieve in discovering Saudi Arabia.” WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, SAYING: “We have come a long way and there's still a long way to go. Our principle is to really develop something that is right for us. Our journey started in 2016. It hasn't started as a result of bidding for the World Cup. So we've achieved a lot. We're very proud of what we've achieved. We're very hungry to do more. And that is a commitment that we have in the areas of human rights across all areas.” WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, SAYING: “In the areas of work as welfare, we've launched initiatives where now employees have the freedom of choice to move from one employer to the other. Documents of these employees are now uploaded into government systems. Over 660,000 organisations are signed up to that portal which ensures that workers have the right to exercise everything that is within their contracts. But even beyond that, only a month and a half ago, the government announced a new government insurance policy, meaning that any (company) that goes unfortunately into bankrupt(cy), God forbid, means that the government can step in and ensure that the workers are paid and paid their dues. These are all, you know, substantive examples, facts on the ground of elements that have been developed, not because we're bidding for the World Cup, because this is part of Vision 2030. This is part of who we are and what we are committed to.” WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, SAYING: “Our aim and aspiration is to bring more teams and more fans into one place than ever before. It's going to be an easy World Cup to get to, an easy World Cup to get around. It's going to be a World Cup with experiences everywhere, a compact World Cup, easy for fans to engage and enjoy their time on the pitch and off the pitch.” WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, SAYING: “We're a football-loving nation. We've always loved football. This is something that we've always been driven towards. So many achievements in football in the last few years. So many achievements at the level of the nation, of the country, in the last few years. We believe this is one of the most remarkable transformation stories in the world. And in football more specifically, we firmly believe this is one of the most exciting growth stories in world football. So, I think the World Cup is a natural next step for us, and it's something that we would be living our dream if we were to be given the honour of hosting.” VARIOUS OF ALBALAWI BEING INTRODUCED AT A WORLD FOOTBALL SUMMIT IN RIYADH (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, SAYING: “Since the ‘90s, our population has tripled. So you take all of the facilities that were built in that in those 20 years (‘70s and ‘80s) and the population has tripled and the same set of facilities are serving the same well, a growing demand. And then you add on top of that the growth of women's football. Three years ago, there were zero girls playing football in school because the facilities weren't there. Today, the facilities are there and in two years after the facilities were built, we have over 80,000 girls playing football. We have three divisions in women's football, and that's growing. So you have a population that's tripled, you have 50% of your society that is now being an active part of football and you have the same facilities. So, the World Cup, it is a representation of our commitment to ensure that we have the right supply that meets the appropriate demand that's in Saudi Arabia. And that means that we will have the capability, inshallah, to host the largest format of the tournament ever in a single nation.” VARIOUS OF ALBALAWI AND PEOPLE AT THE WORLD FOOTBALL SUMMIT (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF SAUDI ARABIA’S WORLD CUP BID UNIT, HAMMAD ALBALAWI, SAYING: “What's happening in the league (Saudi Pro League) is, as you mentioned, great. I think it's great it's getting more exposure. The top stars are rubbing shoulders with their Saudi peers. They're pushing them to new limits they weren't at before. And that's going to generate great enhancement in their performance over the course of the next few years. But even if you look at the grassroots football, a few years ago, we didn't have any regional training centres by the Football Federation. Today, we have 25 regional training centres. These training centers are linked into 100 schools around the kingdom. One-hundred schools with P.E. teachers that are now certified as active scouts, and identifying the talent, making sure that there is a pathway for every talent to go from their school into their regional training centre. And then the link from the regional training centre with the clubs who have the academies, ensuring they have a clear pathway to get into the clubs, into the academies and so on and so forth. I think, you knowm a lot has been made of the league, but I think there's so much happening even beyond the league developing grassroots, youth football, and so on.” VARIOUS OF ALBALAWI LEAVING SUMMIT TO APPLAUSE
- Embargoed: 17th December 2024 23:25
- Keywords: 2034 World Cup Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup
- Location: RIYADH, AND, JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA / PARIS, FRANCE / BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA / INTERNET
- City: RIYADH, AND, JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA / PARIS, FRANCE / BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA / INTERNET
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Middle East,Sport,World Cup
- Reuters ID: LVA001428603122024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hammad Albalawi, head of Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid, stated that the country has made significant progress in human rights while aiming to attract "more fans than ever" to the 48-team showpiece event.
Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup, with FIFA set to vote on it next week amid concerns about the country's human rights record.
Albalawi said the strides in human rights, especially in labour laws, are part of Saudi Arabia's commitment to transforming its social and economic landscape under Vision 2030.
"We have come a long way and there's still a long way to go. Our principle is to develop something that is right for us. Our journey started in 2016, not because of the World Cup bid," Albalawi told Reuters.
"We've launched initiatives granting employees the freedom to move between employers. Documents of these employees are now uploaded into government systems, ensuring they have rights within their contracts.
"Only a month and a half ago, the government announced a new government insurance policy... These are substantive examples, not because we're bidding for the World Cup, but because this is part of Vision 2030. This is part of who we are and what we are committed to.
"Our aim and aspiration is to bring more teams and more fans into one place than ever before."
Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) said last month that FIFA must halt the process to pick Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 tournament unless major human rights reforms are announced before the vote.
Albalawi said the World Cup will be held in a safe and family-friendly environment where visitors will enjoy both inside and outside the stadium regardless of the sale of alcohol, which was banned at the 2022 World Cup in neighbouring Qatar.
Albalawi also pointed to the rapid development of Saudi women's football and its infrastructure as an example of the country's development and social changes.
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