AP Unique: Balich leads Olympics-style World Cup ceremony

ROME (AP) — First World Cup within the Center East. First World Cup kicking off in November. First fashionable version primarily based round a single metropolis. First in an Arab nation.

Now add “first World Cup with an Olympics-style opening ceremony” to the record of novelties for the tournament in Qatar starting on Sunday.

Inventive director Marco Balich, a veteran of a number of Olympic opening and shutting ceremonies, instructed The Related Press that he has been working for a 12 months on a 30-minute present that can run forward of the opening recreation between Qatar and Ecuador.

“The supreme committee wished to create an actual present, which FIFA is just not accustomed to,” Balich stated in a telephone interview from Doha, referring to Qatar’s native organizing committee.

The extravagant ceremony was one of many the reason why in August the World Cup start was moved up a day in a late change — to offer the present a extra distinguished viewing slot.

“FIFA and the supreme committee — particularly FIFA — realized how a lot effort was going into creating the ceremony and creating for the primary time one thing that’s not simply somebody singing earlier than the opening recreation,” Balich stated.

One of many few particulars many followers bear in mind from earlier World Cup opening ceremonies was Diana Ross lacking a penalty kick in 1994 throughout a song-and-dance act in Chicago.

Balich is promising rather more substance in Qatar, indicating that considerations over the therapy of migrant staff, human rights and the conservative nation’s dealing with of gays and lesbians will probably be addressed in the course of the ceremony.

“I can’t spoil the shock however there will certainly be consideration given and responses to all the points being debated proper now,” Balich stated. “It’s not about pleasing the West however being the platform on which Asia and the Western world can comfortably meet. … I feel you’ll have solutions to all the criticism and points which have been raised.”

Balich, who’s Italian, started his Olympic expertise on the 2002 Salt Lake Metropolis Video games with the flag handover ceremony to Turin.

In contrast to the total ceremonies that he created for the 2006, 2014, 2016 and 2020 Olympics in Turin, Sochi, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, respectively, Balich was given strict directions for this occasion by Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

“The message and content material of this present have been curated personally by the nation’s management,” stated Balich, who’s working with co-artistic director Akhmed Al Baker. “They wish to speak about multiculturalism, accepting variety and being a platform for peace.”

Sheikh Hamad has been an Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) member for 20 years and sat by means of lots of Balich’s ceremonies. So it’s not shocking that the emir needs an Olympic-style manufacturing.

The ceremony — and event normally — can also be an audition for Doha’s need to host a Summer season Olympics.

Doha has expressed curiosity in bidding for the Olympics thrice however has up to now been unable to get onto the candidate record.

Qatari officers have been left blindsided final 12 months when the IOC gave Brisbane exclusive bidding rights after which awarded the 2032 Video games to the Australian metropolis.

The following obtainable Summer season Video games is 2036.

Doha has been awarded the 2030 Asian Video games.

BIG SPENDERS

Whereas the ceremony finances doesn’t come close to that of an Olympic opener — principally due to the distinction in size, with Olympic ceremonies normally lasting hours with the parade of athletes and all types of protocols — Balich stated Qatar “wasn’t afraid to spend money on inventive high quality.

“Now we have a group of 900 individuals with best-in-the-world choreographers and lighting technicians,” Balich added. “I feel it’s going to be an enormous step ahead when it comes to World Cup historical past, and the following version in the US, Mexico and Canada will inherit the problem to create this large present which enriches the expertise and identification of all the event.”

NOT A SUPER BOWL

Whereas Balich remains to be restricted from revealing particulars of the present’s content material, he did say that “well-known actors and artists” will probably be concerned.

“But it surely’s not a Tremendous Bowl halftime present,” he added. “It’s an actual ceremony with content material about Qatar and stresses the truth that it is a event of many firsts: the primary time it’s been performed within the winter; the primary time it’s been performed in an Arab nation; and the primary time that eight stadiums encompass a single metropolis.”

Among the many confirmed performers on the ceremony is Okay-pop star Jungkook.

The ceremony and opening recreation are slated for the tent-shaped Al Bayt Stadium, which has a capability of 60,000.

TIMING

The ceremony will begin at 5:40 p.m. native time (1440 GMT, 9:40 a.m. EST) and finish half-hour later. Then the Qatar and Ecuador groups will come out for pre-match warmups and the opening recreation will kick off at 7 p.m.

CLOSING CEREMONY

Balich can also be directing a closing ceremony earlier than the World Cup remaining on Dec. 18 that he stated will probably be “much less essential when it comes to content material.

“Will probably be extra a celebration of the event with the conclusion that the main target for the ultimate is sort of all the time on the 2 groups collaborating,” he added.

CORNICHE SHOWS

Lastly, Balich is making a every day water exhibit Doha’s corniche, the promenade alongside the town’s bay.

That includes fountains, drones and hearth, Balich stated the corniche show will probably be thrice as large because the fountain present on the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

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AP Sports activities Author Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

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AP World Cup protection: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Andrew Dampf is at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf