AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023/ OCAC Hails Stadiums, Exceptional Preparations

Doha, January 11 (QNA) - The Organizing Committee of AFC Asian Cup (OCAC) hailed the exceptional preparations made to provide the best platform for the participating players and teams to shine, with the matches being held in stadiums that the committee described as world-class. In their Thursday meeting headed by Mariano Araneta Jr., the members of the organizing committee were briefed on a comprehensive update on the most important achievements and steps taken to prepare for the tournament, and on the readiness of all operational aspects to hold a distinguished tournament for all participating parties. Following the meeting, Mariano Araneta Jr. said that in terms of operational matters, it is clear that Asia is ready to celebrate the best edition ever in the history of the Asian Cup, especially after the President of the AFC announced that the current edition will be a tournament with historical precedents, and this matter has been achieved thanks to the high-level coordination and integration between the AFC and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC). He considered that the launch of the tournament slogan "Hayya Asia", the launch of the e-Asia Cup, the application of the semi-automated offside system and the video assistant referees system, the development of celebrations before the start of each match, and the use of various digital projects in the paperless policy, confirm the commitment of the AFC and the LOC to ensure the provision of an unrepeatable experience for all participants. He indicated that the attention of the LOC to all the details was something special, which raises hopes for organizing and following up a tournament at the highest international levels. He added that the OCAC has absolute faith that they will build on their proud legacy in previous editions, and just as significantly, they will strengthen the basics for the countries that will host the Asian Cup in the future to build on the model standards set by the Qatar Football Association, the LOC, and the Qatari authorities. In addition to the set of improvements that were presented for the first time in the 18th edition of the Asian Cup, the OCAC members were briefed on the new initiatives that were launched at the operational level, aiming to improve the quality of organization and coordination to hold the 51 matches scheduled from Jan. 10 util Feb. 10. These initiatives include using digital tools to improve operational efficiency and implementing a special system for hotel and training stadium reservations to reduce the distances traveled by the participating teams. (QNA)