Qatar 2022 triumph wins PR award

A public relations firm which helped persuade Fifa to give the 2022 World Cup to Qatar has been honoured by communications industry bosses.

London-based Vero Communications was one of six finalists nominated for the global public relations prize at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) 2011 Excellence Awards.

CIPR officials said Qatar's victory made history and was an "epic achievement" for the public relations industry.

The awards evening programme said: "Persuading Fifa that football's most prestigious tournament could and should be played in the Middle East during the summer months was the daunting brief faced by Vero Communications.

"Transforming initial perceptions of Qatar's bid from 'no-hope' to a serious contender lay at the heart of that challenge.

"Vero's approach was to construct a central bid narrative, and messaging that focused on new cooling technologies, new stadia openings and the infrastructure legacy a World Cup would deliver.

"The result has made history and, as Yahoo! Sport reported at the time, must be considered an 'epic achievement' for the public relations industry."