Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics

Ismail Dergaa; Helmi Ben Saad; Piotr Zmijewski; Ramdan Farhat; Mohamed Romdhani; Amine Souissi; Jad Washif; Morteza Taheri; Noomen Guelmami; Nizar Souissi; Karim Chamari; Samya Al Abdulla

doi:10.5114/biolsport.2023.131109

eISSN: 2083-1862
ISSN: 0860-021X

Biology of Sport

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4/2023
vol. 40

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Original paper

Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics

Ismail Dergaa

^{1, 2, 3}

,

Helmi Ben Saad

⁴

,

Piotr Zmijewski

⁵

,

Ramdan Abdelmoez Farhat

⁶

,

Mohamed Romdhani

⁷

,

Amine Souissi

⁴

,

Jad Adrian Washif

⁸

,

Morteza Taheri

⁹

,

Noomen Guelmami

^{10, 11}

,

Nizar Souissi

²

,

Karim Chamari

¹²

,

Samya Ahmad Al Abdulla

¹

Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Doha, Qatar
Research Unit Physical Activity, Sport, And Health, UR18JS01, National Observatory of Sport, Tunis 1003, Tunisia
High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
University of Sousse, Farhat HACHED Hospital, Faculty of Medicine of Sousse, Research Laboratory (LR12SP09) “Heart Failure” Sousse, Tunisia
Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, 33511, Egypt
Motricité-Interactions-Performance, MIP, UR4334, Le Mans University, Le Mans, France
Sports Performance Division, Institut Sukan Negara Malaysia (National Sports Institute of Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty Of Sport Sciences And Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Postgraduate School of Public Health, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
Department of Human and Social Sciences, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef 7100, Tunisia
Aspetar, Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Doha, Qatar

Biol Sport. 2023;40(4):1249–1258

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.131109

Online publish date: 2023/09/07

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AMA

Dergaa I, Ben Saad H, Zmijewski P, et al. Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics. Biology of Sport. 2023;40(4):1249-1258. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2023.131109.

APA

Dergaa, I., Ben Saad, H., Zmijewski, P., Farhat, R. A., Romdhani, M.,  & Souissi, A. et al. (2023). Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics. Biology of Sport, 40(4), 1249-1258. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.131109

Chicago

Dergaa, Ismail, Helmi Ben Saad, Piotr Zmijewski, Ramdan A Farhat, Mohamed Romdhani, Amine Souissi,  and Jad A Washif et al. 2023. "Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics". Biology of Sport 40 (4): 1249-1258. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2023.131109.

Harvard

Dergaa, I., Ben Saad, H., Zmijewski, P., Farhat, R., Romdhani, M., Souissi, A., Washif, J., Taheri, M., Guelmami, N., Souissi, N., Chamari, K.,  and Al Abdulla, S. (2023). Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics. Biology of Sport, 40(4), pp.1249-1258. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.131109

MLA

Dergaa, Ismail et al. "Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics." Biology of Sport, vol. 40, no. 4, 2023, pp. 1249-1258. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2023.131109.

Vancouver

Dergaa I, Ben Saad H, Zmijewski P, Farhat R, Romdhani M, Souissi A et al. Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics. Biology of Sport. 2023;40(4):1249-1258. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2023.131109.

PlumX metrics:

The 2022 FIFA World Cup (FIFA-WC) held in Qatar presented unique challenges, given the potential for rapid transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among over 1.4 million international fans attending the event. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the FIFA-WC 2022 on COVID-19 cases, deaths, and reproduction rate (R0) in Qatar. Additionally, it sought to understand the implications of hosting large-scale events during a pandemic without COVID-19 restrictive measures, providing critical insights for future decision-making. Data from “Our World in Data” were analysed for three distinct periods: one week before the FIFA-WC (week-preWC), the four weeks of the event (week-1WC to week-4WC), and one week after (week-postWC). The results revealed a significant increase in COVID-19 cases during week-3WC and week-4WC (compared to week-preWC) in Qatar, followed by a subsequent decrease during the week-postWC. Notably, Qatar experienced a more pronounced surge in positive cases than the global trend. Regarding COVID-19-related deaths, Qatar’s peak occurred during week-2WC, while globally deaths peaked from week-3WC to week-postWC. Nevertheless, Qatar’s death toll remained relatively low compared to the global trend throughout the event. The findings highlight that the FIFA-WC 2022 in Qatar demonstrated the feasibility of organizing large-scale sporting events during a pandemic with appropriate measures in place. They emphasize the importance of high vaccination coverage, continuous monitoring, and effective collaboration between event organizers, healthcare authorities, and governments. As such, the event serves as a valuable model for future gatherings, underlining the significance of evidence-based decision-making and comprehensive public health preparedness.

keywords:

Large-scale sporting events during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with an analysis of patterns of COVID-19 metrics

Ismail Dergaa 1, 2, 3 , Helmi Ben Saad 4 , Piotr Zmijewski 5 , Ramdan Abdelmoez Farhat 6 , Mohamed Romdhani 7 , Amine Souissi 4 , Jad Adrian Washif 8 , Morteza Taheri 9 , Noomen Guelmami 10, 11 , Nizar Souissi 2 , Karim Chamari 12 , Samya Ahmad Al Abdulla 1

epidemiological analysis, herd immunity, infectious disease transmission, mass gathering, pandemic management, soccer , SARS-CoV-2