The Qatar 2022 Local Organising Committee (LOC) welcomed FIFA to Doha recently as preparations for the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East continue to advance. During a series of workshops and operational meetings, representatives from FIFA and staff from both the LOC and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) discussed key areas of progress, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Stadiums and Project & Knowledge Management and Sustainability.

During a three-day trip, ​FIFA spent time at Al Bidda Tower, Qatar's Home of Football, before an informal visit to Khalifa International Stadium - one of six stadiums currently under construction across Qatar. With a strong focus on specific operational deliverables, these meetings were designed to outline both the progress made and the requirements expected seven years ahead of kick-off for the tournament in Qatar.

Hassan Al Thawadi, CEO of the Qatar 2022 LOC, said: "The visits by FIFA were extremely valuable and underlined the importance of strong collaboration to ensure a successful tournament. They were designed to showcase our preparations from an operational perspective and how we plan to fully activate the Local Organising Committee next year. The meetings were positive and I believe FIFA left with a clear understanding of the level of operational preparedness which we have already in Qatar."

ICT facilities were another key focus, while the FIFA delegation were also given a tour of the SC's state-of-the-art Monitoring Room - the nerve-centre which currently monitors all infrastructure developments across Qatar relating directly to the 2022 FIFA World Cup™.

Stadium developments were also discussed, with in-depth reviews of stadium designs taking place during the visit. Another highlight came with the visit to Khalifa International Stadium - a site which recently clocked 3.7 million man hours worked without a single lost-time injury.

The ICT, Stadiums and Project and Knowledge Management meetings were followed by the inaugural meeting of the Sustainability Working Group, also in Doha, last week.

Comprising representatives of FIFA tasked with supervising and evaluating sustainability best practices for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™, senior LOC and SC staff, the two-day meeting decided to approach sustainability best practices along inter-disciplinary lines.

Conceptualisation and implementation of stadium precinct sustainability was the main emphasis of the meeting held at Al Bidda Tower and it entailed green building certification, accessible and inclusive design and cleaning and waste management. Social responsibility programmes to engage with communities on a national and regional level were also discussed alongside workers' welfare progress.

The Sustainability Working Group - including the FIFA representatives - also visited the Al Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena in Al Sadd, the multi-purpose stadium which hosted the Handball World Cup in January. The venue has a four star certification issued by Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), a sustainability rating devised by Qatar's Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD).

FIFA will return to Qatar on 8 December when the Qatar 2022 LOC host their second Board Meeting with FIFA attendance.​