Cross the Arabian Peninsula on foot to reach the Qatar World Cup 2022: this is the “crazy” idea of Abdullah Al-Salmia 33-year-old Saudi, who hopes, with his trip, to convey his enthusiasm for this first World Cup organized in the Middle East and to promote the walk in the Gulf.
“AlreadyI will go to Doha, whatever happenseven on foot! “he remembers thinking when he heard a Qatari official promise an” exceptional “event.
Abdalá Al-Salmi embarks on an adventure considered “crazy” by some of his relatives: a solo trip to two months and over 1,600 kilometersfrom his village of Jeddah, in western Saudi Arabia, to Doha, the capital of Qatar, which hosts the World Cup from November 20 to December 18.
followed by thousands of subscribed on snapchathis trip wants to convey the region’s enthusiasm for this World Cup, the first in the Gulf.
“We want to support the World Cup,” the former logistics supervisor told AFP. in the shade of some bushes on the roadside, in the city of Al-Khasrah, 340 kilometers southwest of Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
“I feel a Qatari very interested in this World Cup and in success”, confides Al-Salmi, with a backpack on his shoulder crowned by a flag of Saudi Arabia and another of Qatar, two countries very close diplomatic relations cold until Last year.
The young Saudi walks regularly, a sport he practiced in Canada and Australia, where he grew up. But trust me crossing the Arabian Peninsula is something different.
Start your travels normally at dawn and he walks until 10 am, because the oppressive heat of midday forces him to take a break before resuming the adventure until sunset.
In social networks, tells the details of his dayfrom the most insignificant to the most disturbing, like her search for a place to spend the night or the occasion when she discovered a scorpion near her shop.
Abdullah Al-Salmi also records conversations with Saudis he meets along the way, referred to many offer him food or they promise to follow you on social networks to support you in your project.
“There are ups and downs, but when I meet people and listen to their comforting words, this encourages me to continue“, confesses the young football amateur.
This experience also allowed him to realize the diversity of landscapes in his country, “sand dunesmountains and wastelands, as well as farms “.
Abdullah Al-Salmi’s goal is also to inspire other Saudis take more walks in the countryside.
“Walking and walking is a great sport, even if the weather is hard in Saudi Arabia, even if the ground is hard. We can do it,” he says.
“It’s a sport for simple people. All you need is a backpack, small simple things, a backpack and nature “, sums up the young man.
Abdullah Al-Salmi hopes to arrive in time the first game of his countryon November 22 against his favorite soccer team, Argentina.
The Saudi team, which will also face Poland and Mexicohe qualified for six World Cups but reached the round of 16 only once, in 1994.
“This year we have good players. The coach is the great French coach Hervé Renard “, he confides, expecting” an exceptional performance “.
Source: Clarin
