MSc International Sport Management lecturer, Jarno Stegeman, reflects on a recent guest speaker session for the Global Sustainable Sports Operations module around the Qatar World Cup.
Guest speaker Sharifa Wilkinson joined the MSc International Sport Management (online) students and told them about the operational side of managing the World Cup. With less than 2 weeks until the World Cup kicks off, we were thrilled to get valuable information from Sharifa, who is there in Qatar.
Sharifa is Last Mile Lead at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which means she is managing the areas outside the 8 stadiums. Think of crowd management, pedestrian flow of an expected 1,5 million visitors, accessibility support, medical support, queuing management, and stakeholder management. To say she is busy is an understatement.
We also discussed some of the legacy initiatives, whether social or economic legacies, and how the World Cup will impact Qatar and the wider area. According to Sharifa, it is the Arab hospitality that will add to the overall experience of visitors. The students gained valuable insight in operational management aspects of a mega-sporting event like the World Cup.
Have a fan-tastic World Cup everyone!
Learn more about our MSc International Sport Management (Blended) degree here
