World Cup chiefs have promised the controversial 2022 tournament in Qatar will not clash with that year’s Winter Olympics, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said Tuesday.
World governing body FIFA has said the 2022 tournament will take place during the cooler temperatures of the northern hemisphere’s winter months — potentially risking a calendar clash with the Winter Olympics.
FIFA has yet to agree on dates for the 2022 finals amid ongoing criticism from top leagues in Europe, who are furious that the season will be disrupted to accommodate a tournament traditionally held in the summer months.
Football‘s governing body is studying the possibility of staging the tournament either in November-December or January-February.
However Bach told reporters on the sidelines of the World Alpine Ski Championships in Beaver Creek, Colorado, that FIFA chief Sepp Blatter had assured the IOC there would be no clash with the Winter games.
“We have been talking to FIFA. We have a commitment from the FIFA president there will be no conflict,” Bach said.
“Neither the World Cup nor the Olympic Games would get the full attention they deserve. It would cause major problems with the broadcast and with the sponsors.”
The IOC is yet to decide on the hosts for the Winter Games, which are traditionally held in February. – Agence France-Presse
