Organizers pledge 'no clash' for 2022 sports bonanzas

Sports fans worried about being caught between the World Cup and the Winter Olympics in 2022 have no need for concern, Olympic chiefs say.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach told CNN that he had "100%" confidence that football's flagship event, which has been awarded to the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, wouldn't clash with the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Timing is naturally key to hosting the Winter Games, which are typically held in February.

Bach told CNN's Amanda Davies: "It was very clear that it is nobody's interest to have such a clash and (FIFA) President Blatter gave a clear commitment that there would be no such clash."
Temperature concerns

It may be over seven years away, but the 2022 edition of football's flagship event is already causing organizers headaches. The sports' national federations and players' unions have raised concerns about the heat of the Qatari summer, saying the extreme temperatures would be hazardous to the health and well-being of the athletes.

Temperature concerns have led to calls, including from European football chief Michel Platini, for the tournament to be held in the winter.

FIFA has yet to confirm the scheduling for the event.

Bach, however, is confident that Blatter will honor his promise to avoid scheduling conflicts.

"I have no reason not to believe that he would deliver on this commitment."

He said that he was "100%" confident "because I always believe that people are taking reasonable decisions."

While European leagues are unhappy with the idea of a winter Cup, which would interfere with their domestic tournaments, the chairman of the European Clubs Association (ECA), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, told CNN that it would be "acceptable" to change the schedule for just "one season."

2022 Games yet to be awarded

The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held either in Almaty, Kazakhstan, or the Chinese capital Beijing after all other bids were withdrawn.

The Qatar edition of the World Cup itself is beset by controversy, as human rights groups have previously slammed the country's treatment of migrant workers.

Qatar says it is reforming contentious practices, such as the kafala system, which ties employees to a specific employer.

The system, according to Human Rights Watch and the International Trade Union Confederation, is open to systematic abuse and has created a de facto form of slavery for the more than one million migrant workers living within Qatar's borders.

Allegations of corruption during the bidding process for both Qatar and the 2018 edition of the tournament, to be held in Russia, have tarnished organizing body FIFA's image.

(CNN)

ANN.Az