Securing major events: INTERPOL project extended beyond 2022 World Cup

DOHA: INTERPOL’s Project Stadia will be extended beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in order to support future host countries working to secure major international events.

The contract extension was signed on 23 May in Doha at the FIFA World Cup 2022 Security Last Mile Conference, an international event intended to share security-related information with governments and embassies from all participating World Cup countries, as well as intergovernmental organizations involved in this year’s World Cup.

Over the past 10 years, Project Stadia has positioned INTERPOL as a leader in the international security field, presenting a unique opportunity for member countries to build capacity during the full planning lifecycle of a major event through its international expert groups, certified training and global knowledge-sharing programme.

“What we have seen at the Last Mile Conference – and with Project Stadia’s extension – is a determination to share lessons learned from the event with INTERPOL’s 195 member countries”, added Mr Kavanagh. 
 
“INTERPOL is uniquely positioned to support such efforts, providing major event hosts with a repository of knowledge on major event policing and security, as well as a global network of experts through the Stadia Knowledge Management System,” said Falah Al-Dosari, Senior Manager of Project Stadia. “Qatar has recognized the added-value of such knowledge diffusion, and wishes to expand this to future hosts as part of their legacy.”

Later this year, Project Stadia will deliver a Legacy Expert Group Meeting, which will bring together law enforcement and safety and security professionals working on upcoming major sporting events over the next 10-years. From the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to the 2030 Asian Games in Qatar, INTERPOL’s portfolio of major event capabilities and service delivery will be highlighted to host nations.

INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services Stephen Kavanagh was present in Doha for the contract extension, and the signature of a joint declaration on the exchange of information between Qatar, FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup countries, and international organizations.  

“The Last Mile Conference represents an opportunity to solidify relationships and support international police cooperation before, during and after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,” said Mr Kavanagh.

“The sustained collaboration with Qatar will enable our work with FIFA, the WHO, UNOCT, UNICRI and others to ensure that INTERPOL and Project Stadia are on hand to support future hosts as they rise to meet the many policing and security challenges associated with any major international event,” Mr Kavanagh concluded.

At the conference, the Project Stadia team released its Guidance for Managing Major Event Public Health Risk. The publication is the result of over one year of research into addressing public health concerns for securing major events and is available to download at the below link.