제 16 호 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
Kicker: ENTERTAINMENT
2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
by Ji-Min Baek, Reporter
The 2022 World Cup, a global soccer festival, is being held in Qatar. The World Cup started on November 21st and runs for about a month until December 19th. The opening ceremony of the World Cup opened with world-class musicians performing, beginning with the BTS Jung-kook’s dreamers stage. This is the first World Cup ever held in the Middle East. The World Cup is usually held from June to July, but in Qatar, it was held in November because it was not suitable for soccer games due to high summer daytime temperatures and high humidity. As a result, it is expected to be recorded as the first winter games ever.
Qatar World Cup Mascots and Official Ball
Fans are interested in the symbolism of each competition, including mascots and official balls. For example, during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, mascots were loved a lot and mascot-related products were sold out. The mascot was also unveiled in Qatar World Cup. The Qatar World Cup Organizing Committee announced a mascot La’eeb in April that embodies traditional Arab costumes. La’eeb means an attractive player with excellent skills in Arabic. It is wearing traditional Arab clothes with the meaning of the World Cup, which will be held for the first time in an Arab country. La’eeb is an adventurous, fun and curious character that conveys the joy of soccer to everyone. In addition, La’eeb can be used online, where La’eeb’s GIF and stickers can be downloaded through various social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Al Rihla means the journey in Arabic and is inspired by Qatar's culture, architecture, iconic boats and flags. The official ball with this meaning is the 14th ball made by Adidas for this World Cup. The ball was designed with sustainability first, and in fact, this official ball is the first FIFA World Cup ball only made of water-based ink and glues.
<La’eeb is revealed as Qatar’s FIFA World Cup™ mascot>
<Al Rihla by adidas revealed as FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Match Ball>
Cheering for the Qatar World Cup
There is also a wave of cheering for the Qatar World Cup. First, Naver broadcasts online during the Qatar World Cup and operates community services and various pages. Naver Sports provides live broadcasting of World Cup matches and VOD services for major matches and provides a "cheering talk" function that allows you to cheer in real time while watching live matches. In addition, there will be a space where fans communicate and cheer with the site, including the World Cup official open talk, where people can gather together and cheer together without restrictions on the number of people.
Kakao released a cheering video featuring Kakao Friends. In addition, a Qatar World Cup page has opened on Daum, a portal site, to provide information on the game and to leave a message of support for the Korean national team. In addition, various companies are holding events with messages of support using World Cup marketing.
The Qatar World Cup is the first World Cup to be held in winter in history and the first in Asia in 20 years since the 2002 World Cup. It is also a World Cup with many meanings held in the smallest country in history. In this World Cup, I hope that the Korean national team will go up to high places with good performances, and it would be good to participate in various online cheering places as seen above.
Sources:
https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/media-releases/laeeb-is-revealed-as-qatars-fifa-world-cup-tm-mascot
https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/media-releases/al-rihla-by-adidas-revealed-as-fifa-world-cup-qatar-2022-tm-official-match
https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20221108067600017?site=mapping_related
https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20221118067100017?input=1195m
