Hamad International Airport-Qatar (HIA-Qatar) yesterday announced that it will be the official platinum sponsor of the legendary German football club, FC Bayern Munich. This is another key step towards the national vision of establishing a global leadership in sports, as the State of Qatar prepares to host FIFA World Cup 2022.  
Group Chief Executive of Hamad International Airport-Qatar, Akbar al-Baker, was joined by Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer of HIA-Qatar and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Chairman and Member of the Executive Board at FC Bayern Munich, to announce during a press conference held at the Hamad International Airport on Wednesday the sponsorship, alongside a special surprise appearance by FC Bayern Munich team member Franck Ribery together with Lena Lotzen of FC Bayern Munich Women’s Team and the German National Women’s Team.
Al-Baker commented: “We designed HIA-Qatar to be the most advanced, most efficient and most comfortable global aviation gateway, and a facility able to handle up to 50 million of our own passengers every year, as well as the millions of fans that will visit Doha for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.  
“This is perfectly aligned with our national strategy to establish global leadership in sports, by hosting world-class events such as the recent ATP Qatar ExxonMobil Open and the International Paralympic Committee World Championships. To further align the Group to this national strategy, we took a creative approach by seeking opportunities for HIA-Qatar to partner with the best of the best, and very happily we have created a Platinum Sponsorship relationship with Germany’s most-winning team, FC Bayern Munich. We welcome the opportunities this relationship gives HIA-Qatar.”  
The significant partnership between the most successful club in German history and the world’s newest global gateway was commemorated at an airside press conference and signing ceremony in front of the iconic airport Lamp Teddy Bear statue, designed by Urs Fischer, with the partnership commencing for the 2016/17 football season.  
Badr al-Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA-Qatar said: “This is the first sponsorship of its kind for HIA-Qatar, and we could not have asked for better partners in FC Bayern Munich. We at HIA-Qatar see ourselves as playing an important role in facilitating our passengers’ journeys and helping them create lifelong memories. FC Bayern Munich also figures significantly in their fans’ lives, and together, we aim to continue inspiring our fans, our passengers and the public to reach higher and go places together. HIA-Qatar looks forward to building a relationship with fans of the club, especially on their global travels.”   
HIA-Qatar opened in 2014, and remains one of the most technologically advanced airports in the world. Located conveniently within six hours of 80 percent of the world’s population, HIA-Qatar is rapidly becoming a preferred global transfer hub.  
The partnership will lead to various joint ventures between HIA-Qatar and FC Bayern Munich over the coming years which will give the passengers of HIA and the people of Qatar an opportunity to engage with the world renowned team.  
FC Bayern Munich is the most successful club in German football history and one of the most successful European clubs internationally with a reported 300 million fans worldwide.  
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, CEO of FC Bayern Munich AG, said: “As CEO of FC Bayern Munich, I am delighted to welcome the Hamad International Airport-Qatar as a new member of the team of our partners. The new Doha Airport, that opened in 2014 with a capacity of 30 million passengers per year, is impressive. Its architecture and its comfort set standards in my view.”