Tribune News Network
Doha
For as long as he can remember, Ahmed Al-Shahrani has identified himself as an athlete. The self-proclaimed ‘fitness freak’ was always chasing the endorphin rush from playing sports. From team sports like football, basketball and baseball to individual sports like track and field, Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do, Al-Shahrani’s life revolved around being active.
So, at 17, when a car accident left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, a huge part of his identity was called into question as he was forced to come to terms with his new reality.
During the most recent session of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Twitter Spaces talk, titled ‘FIFA World Cup 2022 Inclusive of All Fans, All Abilities’, which highlighted the progress the country has made in terms of accessibility in the lead up to the mega-sporting event, Al Shahrani detailed how perceptions have changed around disabilities and persons of disability, and the planning and delivery of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has had a big part in that.
But it wasn’t always the case.
Al-Shahrani remembers that it was a period of great sadness for him initially, noting that it was a different time in Qatar almost 15 years ago without many prospects for disabled athletes.
But doing physical therapy and medical rehabilitation abroad, Al-Shahrani realized that he didn’t have to give up on his passion for sports. "While in physical therapy and in recovery, I was introduced to a lot of different adapted sports. It was an interesting couple of years, adapting. Discovering what I was still able to do after my injury, instead of focusing only on what I couldn’t. I didn’t take anything for granted. I took life one day at a time. I likened it to being a toddler again, re-learning pretty much every movement. It was a slow and often painful process.”
Back in Qatar after his rehab was over, Al-Shahrani noted that his progress was impacted by the lack of sporting facilities and infrastructure for adaptive athletes available at the time, explaining that he did mainly strength training because the only adapted sports in the early 2000s were led by the Qatar Paralympic Committee, whose main focus was training competitive athletes.
"For the first few years I was the only athlete out there in a wheelchair. But the running community was very supportive – they always are. And slowly, as I was able to encourage a few of my friends who were athletes of different abilities to take part, the event organizers became more aware and started to accommodate the races to all its runners.”
Al-Shahrani was heartened to see the number of adaptive athletes participating in the Ooredoo Marathon, for example, increase steadily over the years – one indicator of many when it came to the country’s progression.
"Today we are blessed and the community is a lot more aware now of the importance of sports and an active lifestyle. Qatar is the first country to host the tournament after FIFA made it a requirement that all World Cups after 2018 must be fully accessible and take into account persons with disabilities.”
The discussion explored ways in which the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was a catalyst for these changes, of which Al Shahrani was involved.
"I am proud to say that as a part of The Accessibility Forum, established by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy in 2016, I’ve played a part in the planning to ensure tournament facilities and public infrastructure meet the requirements of the disabled community. We visited stadiums, Hamad International Airport, museums, the Doha Metro, and many more places to ensure these facilities are accessible, and suggested changes to improve them further.
"I believe we’ve succeeded in our efforts and set the bar high, and that future World Cups will be measured against the success of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Our focus on inclusion and accessibility will be reflective of the centuries-old tradition of Arab hospitality, welcoming all its guests.”