Doha hosted the launch event for the Visit Qatar 2026-2027 calendar, unveiling the country’s schedule of upcoming cultural, sporting, and entertainment events. The event featured a high-level panel discussion titled “The Role of Sport in Enhancing the Country’s Image as a Dynamic Destination,” with H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Managing Director of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), and H.E. Saad Al Kharji, Chairman of Qatar Tourism, among the speakers.
During the panel, H.E. Al Thawadi emphasized the legacy Qatar has built through hosting major international events over the past decade, highlighting the development of expertise, systems, and operational capacity. He noted that the Supreme Committee’s current mandate extends beyond individual tournaments, focusing on fostering a sustainable events sector that enables private sector growth and produces long-term economic benefits for the country.
The SC’s expanded role was established under an Amiri Decision that reorganized the committee to lead a comprehensive and coordinated approach to event planning within Qatar. The new framework includes collaboration with national stakeholders to develop a five-year integrated calendar of events, aiming to promote efficiency and sustainability across various sectors. To support this, the SC Board of Directors has set up an Events Selection Committee responsible for evaluating and recommending events to relevant entities.
In addition, the committee introduced the Qatar Events Platform, a centralized digital system designed to assist government agencies in organizing, coordinating, and managing activities nationwide.
A key development at the launch was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Supreme Committee and Visit Qatar. The agreement, signed by Jassim Al Jassim, CEO of the Local Organising Committee for Football Events, and Eng. Abdulaziz Ali Al Mawlawi, CEO of Visit Qatar, formalizes cooperation through a Joint Working Group. This group is tasked with sharing expertise and supporting the management of a wide range of events—including entertainment, cultural, sporting, business conferences, and tourism experiences—to enhance Qatar’s position as a premier destination.
Commenting on the partnership, H.E. Al Thawadi described it as central to fulfilling the SC’s new mandate. He explained that while the SC manages coordination and resource allocation among event organizers, Visit Qatar promotes the country internationally as a destination and host. He framed the MoU as a critical step toward unifying stakeholders within Qatar’s events ecosystem and advancing the goals outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030.