Doha, June 16 (QNA) - The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has achieved ISO 20121 certification, the international standard that sets requirements for developing and implementing an effective management system to deliver a sustainable event. This makes FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 the first tournament to achieve such prestigious global recognition through the innovative partnership launched by Qatar and the International Football Association (FIFA) in 2019, the tournament marked a new achievement in addition to its record of successes in terms of sustainability.
The certification was granted after an extensive audit process that was initiated during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 which was held exactly a year before the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.
The CEO of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Nasser Al Khater expressed his pride in the tournaments obtaining this prestigious international certificate, which confirms the extent of the firm commitment to international best practices, and even exceeded their levels in many aspects, taking into account environmental sustainability during preparation for the upcoming global event.
He added that sustainability has been at the heart of Qatar 2022 from the start and that sustainability is a critical element of planning and preparation that teams across FIFA World Cup , the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy and FIFA have been focused on, and that he hopes future tournament organizers will look to Qatar as a model for hosting a mega-event.
In the same context, Sustainability Senior Manager FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Jose Retana expressed his pride to become the first FIFA World Cup in history to obtain the ISO 20121 certification. This demonstrates that according to the evaluation by a third-party accredited entity, world-class management practices are being implemented to deliver an inclusive, green and legacy-oriented event.
He added that only by embedding sustainability across all our operations, can we deliver a truly successful event that leaves a long-lasting, positive impact on fans, players, workforce, local communities and partners. Thats what robust sustainability management does. This certification is testimony to the sustainability efforts of everyone in our organization.
Meanwhile, General Manager of SGS Qatar - a world-leading testing, inspection and certification company - Chris Meakin said that The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has effectively applied and demonstrated best practices under the framework of the Event Sustainability Management System (ISO 20121) to manage the event successfully. They have met the set benchmarks for global sustainability development and to control the events social, economic and environmental impact.
SGS is a world-leading testing, inspection and certification company that has a wealth of experience in certifying mega-sport event organizers against ISO 20121 requirements, including the Olympic Games - Beijing 2022, Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, and the French Open tennis tournament (Roland-Garros).
The sustainability management system is a specific management mechanism and approach through which the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 formulates sustainability policies, implements sustainability measures, achieves sustainability objectives and incorporates sustainability into the whole lifecycle of the tournament.
Sustainability management mechanisms assessed during the FIFA Arab Cup audit included accessibility infrastructure and services for disabled fans, including seating, mobility assistance and innovative features such as audio descriptive commentary. Waste minimization and recycling, including staff training, segregation and awareness-raising activities carried out with the support of sustainability volunteers The assessment mechanism also included Sustainable procurement of items required for the delivery of the tournament, including uniforms made from recycled plastics and the use of compostable food packaging ,social and environmental audits to ensure supplier compliance with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Sustainable Sourcing Code and Incident reporting and resolution during tournament time, including governance arrangements and gathering of lessons learned.
The joint FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Sustainability Strategy is the foundation of the tournaments sustainability management system. A comprehensive set of mechanisms have been implemented to ensure successful delivery against the expectations of stakeholders and the strategys objectives.
The ISO certification covers tournament operations across all official venues and measures the effectiveness of the management system from the planning stage to tournament delivery.
The ISO 20121 achievement has allowed organizers to successfully deliver the target assigned to address the topic of transparency and accountability, which was identified as an important issue during the development of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Sustainability Strategy. (QNA)