Khalid Tawalbeh
Doha
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been absolutely wonderful, a special and impressive edition, thanks to the preparations made by Qatar for the tournament, according to German traveller Sascha Grabow, also called ‘Fan 001’. Grabow got the nickname for being the first fan to arrive in Caravan City. The distinction did not come easy though. He travelled 17,000 kilometres in nine months to be there for Qatar 2022.
Sascha told Qatar Tribune that his trip to Qatar began 9 months ago in Germany. The first 12,000 were travelled by bicycle. At the end of that part, he reached the Turkish-Iraqi border after travelling through some 13 countries. Due to some procedural issues at that point, “I had to get rid of the bicycle and continued my travel on foot”, he said.
“I am very happy and they called me Fan 001 after I arrived as the first fan in the Caravan city”, he added.
“This was myreturn to Qatar for the first time after 12 years, and I am happy with the development I am witnessing. I went up to Al Ghariya beach and Al Shamal to meet my Qatari friend who was the first to tell me about the Caravan City. It is a wonderful place, similar to a place in Germany, so I am glad to be here,” he added.
“I faced great difficulties during my journey until I arrived in Qatar. Extremely low temperatures, sometimes reaching 20 below zero, forest fires, bumpy mountain roads, and even a kidnap attempt, I encountered them all”, he said.
“During the first 7 months of my journey, I covered 12,000 kilometres by bicycle. I covered another 5,000 kilometres by walking and horseback riding. In total I crossed 15 countries until reaching my destination, I think I am the first to arrive here after a slow travel,” he said.
During his trip, he even broke his hand and had to change his bike’s tyres seven times. But he remains undaunted. “I am a lover of adventure, and I do not
like to travel by traditional means such as aeroplanes, ships, cars and trains, but by walking and cycling,” he said.
On his impression of Qatar, he said: “Everything is fine here, the atmosphere is wonderful, and I am very happy with the development that this country has witnessed, I had been to Qatar 12 years back, and now the situation is completely different.”
He stressed that Qatar stands out among all the organisers of this event before, and added it is “the best throughout history”, especially in the group stage, which he followed until Germany’s exit. “The atmosphere inside the stadiums was one of the coolest. The audience was amazing,” he added. Qatar 2022 World Cup continues to stand out until this moment, with unrivalled success, at the end of the day, all we want is to give some joy and smiles to people around the world. That is also the goal of my journeys.”
“The sports facilities here are great, and I think Qatar has impressed the world by organising a perfect World Cup,” he added.
A video clip of the German fan, dubbed “Fan No. 001” by media and activists, has gone viral on social media sites, as he was the first to arrive at the “Caravan Village” in Qatar intended to accommodate fans of the 2022 World Cup.
Earlier, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy announced about the “Caravan Village”, “the goal of the project is to provide multiple housing options for fans who will come to follow the Qatar 2022 World Cup”.
The German national team was one of the strongest contenders in the championship with an enviable track record and a side boasting of star players, but unluckily, it exited the tournament early, to the surprise of many.
