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Hatem Boukhit, a Tunisian volunteer and presently a staff member at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Media Assistant at the FIFA World Cup
Tell about your FIFA World Cup volunteering experience
In my view, volunteers have been the heartbeat of this tournament. It was a chance to gain new skills, make friends and create a lifetime of memories. I think all volunteering roles were pivotal to the success of this event and I was thrilled to be chosen as a media operations volunteer, with team members from all around the world.
Every volunteer had to attend a minimum of eight shifts. Most of the shifts started at 10 am and ended around 9 pm. My first shift was during the game between Uruguay and Korea. I had the chance to see famous players in the mixed zone, like Son Heung-min from Korea, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez from Uruguay, and it was a moment to remember.
The second shift was during the match between Saudi Arabia and Poland. I was in the media center helping the journalists and media and printing tickets for the media tribune.
My third game was special because my national team Tunisia played against France, and I was in the rope ceremony, face to face with Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, and Theo Hernandez, players I only ever watch on television. At that moment I needed to keep focusing on the photographers, ensuring they did not cross the line without interfering and ruining their shots and at the same time enjoy the moment. When I heard the Tunisian national anthem I got goosebumps, and this was one of my best moments as a volunteer.
I was very lucky to be part of the media volunteer team, especially in the Education City Stadium, as it hosted the best matches that will surely be marked in the history of the World Cup.
What were the highlights of your volunteering experience?
I enjoyed the challenge of helping the media experts. I learned new skills and grew in confidence. The experience has directed my interest towards pursuing a career in media.
I volunteered in different places within the Education City Stadium. I worked inside the media center where all media experts, photographers, and journalists sit and have all pieces of information for the matches; in the mixed zone where you have the chance to see famous players face-to-face, and journalists can have exclusive interviews with different players.
I was also in the media tribune, which had the best view in the stadium and was dedicated to the commentators and broadcast camera. I considered this place the heart of the media, where you will discover how different media works. As a volunteer, I needed to help them and make everything work smoothly.
The last area was on the pitch, as part of "the rope ceremony". Here we needed to escort all photographers to their places, before, during, and after the game. During this phase, you get close to all the players, coaches, referees, and FIFA members.
What was your role, and why did you choose that role/why were you assigned to this role?
My role was media operations volunteer in the Education City Stadium.
On the application form, you could select more than two roles of interest. I selected all related to digital media, IT, and computer technology as these are fields I want to learn more about and later get involved in all the aspects of the media and broadcasting at big events.
After submitting the application on the FIFA Volunteer platform, I had a 60-minute face to face interview, and then a group exercise. That was followed by a sit-down discussion, where prospective volunteers needed to show our enthusiasm and knowledge about the different roles we selected. This role is subject to a security background check, and as I speak three languages, I believe that's why they assigned me this role.
What inspired you to become a World Cup volunteer?
Volunteering for any major event, the World Cup, Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, the UEFA Euro Championship, etc., means a lot for an individual. It adds a wealth of experience and one can really get a feel of the magnitude of a major sporting event. There are so many aspects, from liasing with the teams, officials, players, coaches, media, transportation logistics, operations, sports technicalities, event management, hospitality, accommodation, and others. The most inspirational factor was that this World Cup was held in Qatar, an evolved country that keeps surprising us all with its advanced technologies and infrastructure.