Members of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) 2016 Youth Panel visited Al Wakrah stadium recently and were briefed about various aspects of the ongoing construction work in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™.

Of the 45 Panelists of 2016, 41 attended the second workshop of the year-long self-development programme. They interacted with engineers and health and safety professionals at the stadium and learnt about the progress of the ongoing preparations for the first ever FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East. They also spoke to on site construction workers.

During the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™, Al Wakrah Stadium is a proposed venue for matches up to the quarter-final and will have a capacity of 40,000. Following the tournament, the upper tiers of the modular seating will be dismantled as a legacy initiative and the infrastructure donated to nations in need of sporting infrastructure.

The Youth Panel is an initiative of the SC Community Engagement division aimed at giving a voice to the youth of Qatar in the delivery and legacy planning of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™. The programme aims to inspire young people living in Qatar, irrespective of their nationality or background and foster a sense of ownership and pride in the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, and in particularly the legacy the tournament will leave.

Khalid Al Jumaily, SC Community Engagement Manager, told www.sc.qa: "The panelists were thrilled to visit a venue of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They enthusiastically interacted with the professionals and listened to the presentations with great attention. Legacy planning around the stadium was an area of particular interest to them as they have a huge role to play here. Many of them had not thought about the World Cup in terms of the influence and impact it would have on local society after 2022, and they were very happy that they have an important role to play in shaping the course and destiny of this landmark event hosted by their country."

"I am so thrilled and excited at visiting a 2022 FIFA World Cup venue," said Martina Gabrielle Estrada, a student in Qatar and a 2016 Youth Panelist hailing from the Philippines. "To be associated with a FIFA World Cup is truly a great honour. All the information and interactions will widen my horizons and I look forward to raising the profile of Qatar and the 2022 World Cup during this year and beyond."

The 2015 Youth Panel, the first ever, graduated in March this year and the 2016 batch were inducted into the programme on the same day. They held their first workshop in April.