The Gulf region is increasingly emerging on the map of international sport as a host of major sporting events; in football, for example, with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 22 or the FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia planned for 2034. The Gulf region has also been anchored in the Formula 1 racing calendar since 2001, as well as in the LIV Golf Series. Doha is hosting the Asian Games in 2030 and the list goes on. We speak with Prof. Simon Chadwick (Salford University, UK) about his insights and experiences as research director of the FIFA World Cup 2022, about changing societies, politics and the role of sport.
