While the World Cup is being leveraged to divide countries, sports diplomacy can also bring countries together, as it has Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Fanack created this Sport and Politics Special to highlight both the love of sport in the MENA region and sport as a vehicle for power and corruption.

After the 1979 revolution, Iranian wrestling was infused with the Islamic Republic’s ideological zeal. No wrestler was allowed to wrestle with an Israeli. In fact, wrestling in Iran remained a symbol of standing up to evil, be it the Shah’s dictatorship and oppression of the Iranian people or the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

These breeches are worn tight on the skin, but an opponent’s oiled hand can easily (and is permitted) to slip inside them for added traction. This is where some of the sport’s few rules come in, as fighters are prohibited from getting too intimate with their opponent’s genitalia. The kispet trousers also act like a soccer jersey, with the fighter’s name and hometown often adorned in metal studs on the seat of the trousers.

It is all part of the Vision 2030 objectives, which calls for the weaning off of the country’s near total dependency on its oil resources and the introduction of a more diversified economic portfolio.

The regime’s interference in sports, whether it is to limit women’s participation in sporting events or to prevent competition against Israeli contenders, has had a notable impact on individuals, affecting their freedom, their life and, for athletes, the chance to fulfil their potential.

Qatar appears to be adopting a somewhat more progressive stance on gender issues than several of its neighbors, including in the way it is promoting women’s football.

2022 is Qatar’s first selection for the World Cup, a place it was given as the host, and the first chance the country will have to prove the strength of its grip on football on the global stage.

Beyond the social role the ultras now play, their pull has another dimension: “In the space of 90 minutes, they express the whole range of emotions that one can feel in a lifetime: joy, suffering, hatred, anguish, admiration, injustice.”

Squash can also be a means to pursue other ambitions. For instance, his squash achievements helped Ali Farag to study at Harvard University, and other players have received scholarships to study abroad. Faced with tough economic conditions and expensive education at home, many young Egyptians dream of opportunities overseas.

Qatar has hosted sporting events as a form of soft power, helping it break its isolation and build relationships with the international community, including Israel. However, The UAE has different motives, warming up to Israel in a bid to form a broader alliance against their mutual enemy, Iran.