UNIC Beirut Delves Into 2022 World Cup through a PODCAST

In the run-up to Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 and as part of the global “Football for the Goals” initiative, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Beirut produced a special episode of #TheUrbanAthletePodcast dedicated to this mega sporting event featuring football experts who gave insights about the tournament, shared professional experiences, and highlighted the role of SDGs in this game.

The episode was divided into two parts. The first part featured Former FIFA Elite Referee Andre El-Haddad and President of the Lebanese Wushu Kungfu Federation/University Professor Dr. Georges Nseir who, together with the host Coach Ryan Merheb, discussed the performances of the countries that qualified to the Cup, looking ahead to what is expected after this year’s Cup kickoff. They focused on the process of becoming a referee and the status of female referees in Lebanon. In the second part Ali and Youssef El-Hajj, two brothers who are football players in two major football clubs in Lebanon, shared their professional experiences, success stories, as well as insights about the global tournament.

Throughout the episode, guests tackled the FIFA Sustainability Strategy and stressed the importance of organizing eco-friendly tournaments. Each one of them chose one SDG and pledged to work on achieving it until 2030.

The podcast, originally released in April on the International Day of Sport for Development, aims to influence behaviors and galvanize action within sports, and to inspire people to consider sport as a valuable tool to overcome obstacles or crises. You can watch our episodes on basketball, mental health, athletes with disabilities, e-sports, self-defense and strike force on UNIC Beirut’s Youtube Channel.

Also under “Football for the Goals,” the Centre developed a social media package consisting of Twitter polls and Instagram quizzes related to the participation of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Kuwait in the World Cup (countries served by UNIC Beirut) and the UN’s strategic alliance with FIFA, in addition to WHO and FIFA’s “Healthy 2022 World Cup” campaign, the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, Qatar’s MoU with UN Women, and many other topics.