Not only did Qatar make it to the finals for basketball but soccer as well. People here are crazy about soccer/football! We're lucky we got our tickets early and got to the stadium early. Originally the game was supposed to be at Al-Gharaffa stadium which holds 25,000 people. But since Qatar was in the finals, the head of the Asian Games and owner of Al-Sadd stadium requested the game be held at his stadium…or so the story goes. His stadium only holds 16,000 people. What happened to the extra 9,000 tickets sold? Tough luck! The game started at 4pm but you had to arrive between 1-3pm. We arrived at 2pm and had great seats. It turned out to be a beautiful day and fun game. Qatar won 1-0 but man those Iraq fans had spirit! They started chanting at about 3pm and didn't stop until after the medal ceremony.
Overall it was a really fun 2 weeks. I was really impressed with how they pulled everything together. I definitely had my doubts and was afraid the traffic would be horrendous. It was the opposite; all the events were well attended and organized. The venues are gorgeous and small enough so that you really feel the excitement. There was only one day when the main road was closed and it was pouring down rain which made the commute to work a hassle. It was sad when the games were over…I really had fun!!!!
-Gen
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