Sports and Youth Minister Masoud Soltanifar said Qatar can use the facilities of Kish Island, in south Iran, for the 2022 World Cup which the peninsular Arab country is due to host.
On the sidelines of the Fourth Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers in Baku, Azerbaijan, Soltanifar held talks with his Qatari counterpart Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali and announced Iran’s support for the global event, ISNA reported.
The 2022 World Cup will be the first of its kind to be held in the Middle East, and in an Arab and a Muslim-majority country. The tournament will be the last to involve 32 teams, with an increase to 48 teams scheduled from the 2026 tournament.
The event will also mark the first World Cup not to be held in May, June or July; the tournament is instead scheduled for late November until mid-December.
“Hosting the World Cup is an important event for Qatar and countries of the region,” Soltanifar said.
Pointing to the potential of the Kish Island to support the World Cup, the minister said, “Kish Island has close proximity to Qatar. With more than 80 hotels and sports facilities, the island can be of great help to Qatar and it can be used as a lodging resort for the participating teams.”
Kish is a 91-square-kilometer island in the Persian Gulf off the southern coast of Iran. The air distance between Qatar and Kish is 280km.
Currently Kish International Airport does not offer flights to any airport in the neighboring Arab emirate. However, Flight Time Calculator website estimates air travel time from Kish to Doha Airport at 48 minutes.
Building Youth Ties
Soltanifar referred to the good political ties between Iran and Qatar and hoped the two sides would also expand relations in non-governmental spheres.
“Given the cultural and religious bonds between our two countries, we hope relations between non-governmental organizations and youth associations would also expand.”
To this end, Soltanifar proposed youth cultural weeks of each country to be held in the other.
Al Ali said hosting the World Cup in his state has created the conditions for further cooperation with Iran.
“The present exceptional circumstances have provided exceptional opportunities”, said the Qatari minister. “Qatar is in favor of expanding ties with Iran and we have a plan to this effect this year.” He did not elaborate.
He added that two-way sporting ties have their own history and said Qatar football clubs have been destinations for Iranian football legionnaires.
Million Visitors Annually
Owing to its free trade zone status, Kish Island is touted as a consumer’s paradise, with numerous malls, shopping centers, sunny coastlines, tourist attractions and resort hotels. It has a population of 26,000 and a million visitors visit there every year.
According to the official website of the Kish Free Zone Organization, there are three football courts in the island which have international certifications for international sporting events.
Among the three, one has the capacity to seat 8,000 spectators. There are also stadiums with artificial grass for trainings and national football clubs use the facilities for their summer camps.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation held the fourth session of the Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers in Baku, April 17-19.
The event, under the theme of “Solidarity in Action for Youth Development”, was co-organized by Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Youth and Sport, OIC, OIC Youth Forum and the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation.
