FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated on Thursday that the World Cup finals in Qatar this year will serve as a “benchmark” for future major athletic events held during a health crisis.
Organizers in Qatar, who will have tens of thousands of extra medical personnel on hand for the 32-nation event, which begins November 21, are “cautiously optimistic” that it will be the first mass gathering of sports fans for a global sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic broke out two years ago.
Spectators have generally been barred from both the Tokyo Olympics last year and the ongoing Winter Olympics in China this year.
During an online health conference hosted by the Qatar authorities this week, FIFA announced that 17 million tickets have been requested for the first World Cup in the Arab area, and sought to reassure fans about safety precautions.
Medical personnel told the press conference that each game would have 90 medical points and 10 ambulances.
