The daily work of the AFC U23 Championship Qatar 2016 Local Organising Committee will continue until 30 January – the date of the final.

The LOC was inaugurated on 12 January 2016 to oversee the tournament, which features the top 16 teams in Asia. The leading three teams from the event will qualify for the men’s football tournament at this year’s Rio Olympics.

The LOC consists of several departments, each of which has numerous duties and responsibilities. Daily tasks for each department are set and overseen by Mansoor Al Ansari, LOC Chief Executive Officer, and Ahmed Al Harami, the LOC’s Chief Operations Officer.

Competitions Department

The Competitions Department is chaired by Ahmed Al Adsani and oversees the management of the tournament’s four venues: Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium and Grand Hamad Stadium. In addition to this, the department oversees the official training facilities, along with the distribution of official accreditation. To-date, more than 5,300 accreditation passes have been issued to various stakeholders, including LOC employees, volunteers and the media.

Finance Department

The Finance Department is led by Ahmed Al Muftah and is responsible for approving the LOC’s budget, along with the budget of various sub-committees.

Corporate Support Department

Chaired by Nasser Al Maslamani, the Corporate Support Department oversees human resources aspects of the LOC, along with volunteers and services for various facilities.

Logistical Support Department

Headed by Abdullah Al Hammadi, this department is responsible for fully preparing each venue, including supplying Internet access and power cables. This department also organises the accommodation of all teams and officials.

This department managed the visa process for each team. It processed more than 1,650 visa applications. This department is also responsible for transport operations, hospitality and catering at each official venue.

Marketing Department

Khalifa Al Haroon is responsible for this department, which is responsible for various aspects, including the official mascot, Najim, which helped to promote the tournament in schools and shopping malls.

The total number of spectators to attend the competition until Saturday 16 January is 29,264. This number represents an average attendance of 2,096 per match, which is considerably higher than the first edition of the tournament in Oman, which averaged 1,000 fans per match.
The Marketing Department has worked very hard to promote the event on social media. Participating teams have been welcomed in their native languages on a range of platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

The total number of media representatives covering the tournament is 732. This number includes 82 from Japan, which has sent three TV channels to cover the matches. China has two channels covering the tournament, while the Korea Republic has one. The host broadcaster is a combination of beIN Sports and Al Kass.

Legal Department

The Legal Department is responsible for registering the official trademarks, approving contracts with domestic and foreign companies, and overseeing the insurance agreements.

Planning Department

This department oversaw the planning for the entire tournament. One of their main tasks is to transfer the knowledge gained from the event so that it leaves a legacy for Qatar.

Security Department

Headed by Major Nawaf Abdullah Al Meadhadhi, this department is based at the official venues and in various hotels.

This department includes employees from Hamad Medical Corporation and Aspetar, who are based at the training facilities, hotels and official venues.

AFC appreciation

The relentless, high-quality work by the LOC is greatly appreciated by the Asian Football Federation, whose officials have expressed thanks and gratitude for the dedication of every Qatar-based employee.