A photo taken on Feb. 16, 2020 shows the inner view of the Lusail Stadium, one of the 2022 FIFA World Cup venues, in Lusail, Qatar. The installation of the main steel frame, built by the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), was completed on Sunday. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua)
A number of people working on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- A number of people working on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar have been made redundant in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, organizers have revealed.
A statement said that those workers leaving their posts would receive all due salary benefits in line with Qatari labor laws, though the number of people losing their jobs was not disclosed.
Qatar Airways, a FIFA sponsor, and Doha-based beIN Sports, which owns the broadcast rights to World Cup matches, have also cut jobs recently in response to COVID-19, which has halted international travel and shut down sporting events.
Qatar has opened three of the eight stadiums that will be used in the tournament across November and December 2022.
With 85 percent of the tournament infrastructure having been completed, organizers said the workforce needs new skills required for the next phase of Qatar's tournament delivery. ■