Hassan Al Thawadi hails Generation Amazing Festival and claims Qatar World Cup has changed lives for the better

Thawadi hailed Generation Amazing Festival 2022Claims World Cup has positively impacted many livesIndian ambassador Patil echoes his thoughts

WHAT HAPPENED? The Generation Amazing Foundation’s fourth annual Youth Festival 2022 was inaugurated at the Education City’s Oxygen Park Main Stage on Friday. The Generation Amazing Youth Festival 2022 and GOAL22 is an international school exchange programme alongside the 2022 FIFA World Cup which kicks off on November 20.

The opening ceremony was attended by distinguished guests including the Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), H.E. Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Schools from 32 participating nations who are committed to championing ethical and inclusive sport will engage in a year-long exchange programme. Hassan Al Thawadi hailed the 2022 edition of the festival as unique and went also asserted that the World Cup 2022 has impacted many lives positively.

WHAT THEY SAID: “Our 2022 Festival is unique because it’s a few days before the World Cup. It is the result of 12 years of work. A vision that we started during the bid. It won’t it is coming to an end but a chapter of it coming to a close and a new chapter is beginning. As we close this chapter we see how it has impacted people’s lives. People keep asking me whether the bidding (for the World Cup) is worth it? Yes, it is worth it. This is what makes it worthy,” he stated.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Shubham Patil, a Generation Amazing Youth ambassador from India, has got the opportunity to take part in the programme and the football trainer has also showered praise on the initiative. “Before 2018, I was just a football coach trying to use the sport as a tool to teach the students different things. They are mostly from underprivileged areas and are affected by drug abuse. I tried to teach them different life skills through football. In 2018, I got to know about Generation Amazing and got involved with it,” he stated.

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WHAT NEXT? The FIFA World Cup 2022 kicks off on November 20 with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador.