Qatar Golf Association confident on hosting 2021 Qatar Masters, Qatar Open

DOHA (Qatar): The Qatar Golf Association (QGA) are confident that the successful ‘bio bubble’ models followed by a few sports federations in Qatar in staging international competitions will help their cause to host the 2021 Qatar Masters.

The Qatar Masters is a European Tour event and one of the blueriband golf competition in the region.

The QCA officials of are working overtime and have set in motion the groundwork for hosting the prestigious, which has been staged at the Doha Golf Club for the last 23 years while the last edition was staged at the Education City Golf Club course.

The European Tour has set a mid-March 2021 date for the event, but a lot will depend on how the Coronavirus pandemic situation prevailing in different countries and the restriction put in place by the respective nations on their nationals.

QGA officials are aware of the huge task they have on hand to host the event with the prevailing pandemic situation.

“We normally have two or three big events during the year and we’re having challenges in hosting these events like the Qatar Open Amateur championship and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. We’re facing challenges basically how to host and stage the events if the pandemic persists till March,” Mike Shoueiry, Technical Director at QGA told KhelUpdates.com.

‘European tour rules need to be adhered to’

Besides the health guidelines, Shoueiry said the European tour has a set of rules which need to adhered to.

“These events need a lot of preparations in order to get them going. Staging the events hosting the events and bringing people (players, officials, media personnel) from the outside all the guidelines have to be followed which are given by the authorities, and also the European tour protocol and guidelines” he added.

Shoueiry said QGA officials lead by its President Hassan Al Naimi and General Secretary Fahad Al Naimi are making sure that nothing is left to chance regarding the organization.

“We are making sure everything is going smooth. We’re still in the process of hosting these events and not canceling or postponing them.”

Qatar Masters to take place between March 11-14

Shoueiry was hopeful and confident that Qatar Masters will take place between March 11-14, 2021.

“The dates are confirmed. It it will be held at the Education City Golf Club. Events of this caliber and magnitude needs to be prepared for way ahead of time so we are in the process of really making decisions on whether to host it with spectators and whether to have structures and hospitalities and VIP invitations and also abiding by the ministry of public health guidelines.”

The QGA official added that around 500 to 600 people will be coming to Qatar and QGA will have to take care of them.

“We have about five to six hundred people will be coming into Qatar in March, so they will have to quarantine in the hotel, so we are in the process of trying to put it all together and hoping we can stage and host the event by then but we need to prepare for it and make decisions as quick as possible,” he said.

Shoueiry said with Qatar hosting two AFC Champions League tournaments, basketball and squash events in the last few months has given them confidence to host the golf event.

“We are monitoring all the events at the national or international events that are being hosted here in Qatar and try to see their ways of approaching the pandemic — how they take care of their players or the people coming from the outside, the bio bubble they operate and how player are taken from the training sites and competition sites and the hotel,” said Shoureiry, who added that the health of the people is a top priority for the organisers.