2002 Qatar: Women's World Open, Qatar Classic

Qatar 2002, Doha, Qatar > Opening Ceremony

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Fireworks and explosions and the
tournament hasn’t begun!
by Dan Kneipp

Most of the players view the Qatar Classic as the best tournament of the year. PSA awarded it that very title last year. Joe and many of the other players said that the fireworks display last year was breathtaking. Rumours placed the value of the show at a quarter of a million dollars. When this is one of the biggest tournaments of the squash calendar and the price money is less than half of that, it seemed a little bizarre and skewed. It made more sense today.

The qualifying has finished and the opening ceremony was prepared including live coverage by the local television. The media coverage in countries like this and Pakistan puts Western standards to shame. Pick up an American, Australian or English newspaper and you’re saturated with the two or three main sports (e.g. baseball, cricket, football) and either nothing else, or pathetic tit bits that are bordering upon embarrassing. The two best examples I’ve seen of this was when David Palmer become world number 1 last year. Melbourne’s broad sheet paper allocated one paragraph to it in the sports roundup section. The other was working in California in 1997 at the start of the Ashes cricket series and not having access to the internet and trying to find out the result of the first test: impossible. Whereas here virtually every sport you could imagine has comprehensive coverage, and if there’s a major event like the Qatar Classic there’s nearly a full broadsheet page dedicated to it and comprehensive television coverage.

Which is lucky because it seems like the locals take for granted the presence of the world’s top athletes. Apparently the tennis tournament is similar here in that it’s rare for there to be a full house. Even for tonight’s ceremony there was seating for approximately 2000 people and it would have only been about half full. I don’t think they realise the quality of the show they missed out on.

The WISPA players were introduced to the crowd first, followed by the men.

The local wild card player must have been preparing for his match as he was absent along with Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Peter Nicol who were both due on court immediately after the ceremony. If my sources are correct Qatar has a population of about one million, with only a quarter of them actual locals. Going by the applause Shabana, El Hindi, Darwish and Elborolossy got, there must be a lot of Egyptians living in Doha.

Once the players had exited the light show began. Two thin gauze-like screens had been set up on either side of the ‘stage’ with a water display forming the centre piece. Spectacular laser shows covered the screens while the water was formed into fountains that was then used to project pictures onto, creating a breathtaking result. The theme of the show was countries of the world

This was all very beautiful and impressive. I knew there was going to be fireworks and was looking forward to them. I was keen to see how they could be soooo good that everyone kept talking about it for so long. Then the real show began. Fireworks exploded across the sky in synchronisation with laser lighting and water fountains. At the same time choreographed music radiated throughout the crowd. At one stage they had a Beethoven piece with fireworks going crazy. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I didn’t know whether to laugh of cry. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a more impressive display EVER. I’ll be happy if I never see another firework in my life as nothing could compare to tonight’s show.

I now understand why such an important and big squash tournament can afford to put over twice the tournament’s purse into entertainment. The local business men like Ali Bin Ali who organise and fund the touranament have the money and urge to be entertained. This means having the best squash players in the world at their club. If part of that enjoyment for them includes breathtaking fireworks displays, and this will lead to them continuing to put tournaments on (as Ali Bin Ali committed to in his speech), then bring on more entertainment! If he only needs to put up $100,000 to have the 32 best players in the world at his courts, but it costs $250,000 for the best fireworks, then he’ll do what he has to do.

Having dinner later with Joe, Dutch player Tommy Berden and John White, the display was the only topic of conversation. As Whitey pointed out it seemed that any game of squash would seem boring after a presentation like that. Throwing your racquet and abusing the ref as fireworks just doesn’t compare. I’m sure I’ll have changed my mind once I watch some of the squash.

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