Working closely in partnership with INTERPOL, Qatar and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) sent security experts to Brazil last week to share best practices on how to ensure the highest standards of security at major sporting events. The five-day workshop in Brasilia helped to transfer vital knowledge between the hosts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ and Qatar, as the country continues to prepare for an impeccable security setup at the 2022 FIFA World Cup™.

Through INTERPOL's Project Stadia, which aims to create a centre of excellence and good practice platform, Qatari police trainers and representatives from the SC sat down with commanders of the Brazilian Police responsible for national security during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. The debriefing mission followed on from Qatar's extensive observation program across various cities in Brazil this summer.

Captain Nawaf Al-Ali, Company Commander of VIP Protection for Qatar's Internal Security Forces (ISF), who was present in Brasilia, said: "Qatar is always investigating opportunities to gather good practice in all fields, including sporting event security. The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be a great opportunity to demonstrate how sharing information between INTERPOL's member countries creates a vital flow of information that will help ensure successful policing operations in the future."

"Our debriefing with Brazil's security experts will enhance the effectiveness of the safety and security measures which Qatar will put in place in 2022," he added.

The SC was also present in Brazil, with Security Training Expert Ian Malcolm Ross saying he was impressed by the centralised command system set up across the large country: "They successfully managed security across Brazil this summer by training of their staff, purchasing new equipment, and building of new command centers. All of this has created a fantastic legacy for Brazil that they are already seeing being productive. This is very important for Brazil because they are now leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games."

"Through the links with INTERPOL we were able for the first time to interview eight of the top personnel that were involved in the planning for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and that has given us a long list of areas that they would suggest Qatar benefit from. It has shown us some really good experience they had with their partner agencies, with budgets, the training of police and security, and the building of stadiums and security in general."

INTERPOL's Director of Operational Police Support and Head of Project Stadia, Michael O'Connell, also commented on the sharing of information between the Qataris and Brazilians, saying: "The effective management by Brazil of the 2014 World Cup will contribute the valuable knowledge to this system [Project Stadia]. All INTERPOL member countries will benefit from this crucial expertise and knowledge on how to best organize an international major sporting event."