‘Volunteering gives me an opportunity to give back to Qatar’

Doha, Qatar: Shahd Al Maraghi is one 500 volunteers playing a critical role in the delivery of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024. The 22 year old Qatari volu...

Doha, Qatar: Shahd Al Maraghi is one 500 volunteers playing a critical role in the delivery of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024. The 22-year-old Qatari volunteer recently graduated from Qatar University with a degree in Physiotherapy, but already has a robust volunteering portfolio in mega-sporting events. Al Maraghi was one of thousands of volunteers that successfully delivered the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as well as the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.

“Volunteering gives me an opportunity to give back to Qatar. Our country has done so much for us, and I wanted to play a part in the success of all the major sporting events being hosted in Qatar,” said Al Maraghi, who is a volunteer with the media operations team. “My role is to make sure that journalists covering the tournament have all that they need. Knowing that I am supporting the work of storytellers from our stadiums is really special.”

Qatar is hosting the AFC U23 Asian Cup for the second time, having previously organized it in 2016. This year, the biennial tournament will see the best 16 teams compete for a spot at the Summer Olympics in Paris. The top three teams qualify immediately, with the fourth-place team competing for the final spot in a play-off match against an African team.

“Volunteering built my fondness for football. Watching our young athletes give their all for their country was so inspiring,” added Al Maraghi. “Watching Qatar lift the Asian Cup was an amazing experience, and now I love being in stadiums. Volunteering also allowed me to be more social, meet new people and work with other volunteers from different backgrounds.”

Volunteering in Qatar has a long-standing tradition, one that has been bolstered by the country hosting mega sporting events. More than 20,000 volunteers took part in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 while an additional 6,000 volunteers helped in the delivery of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023. Volunteers take part in a number of functional areas, ranging from spectator services to transportation.