China gifts World Cup giant pandas to Qatar
Sports
China announced Monday that it will give Qatar two giant pandas to mark the World Cup.
DOHA (AFP) - China announced Monday that it will give Qatar two giant pandas to mark the World Cup being held in the Gulf state.
China s ambassador to Doha, Zhou Jian, said that "Suhail" and "Soraya" would arrive in Qatar in October, ahead of the 32-nation tournament that starts November 20.
The planet s most populous nation did not qualify for the World Cup but Chinese companies have been involved in the construction of mega projects around the event.
"This is a gift presented by the 1.4 billion Chinese people for the Qatar World Cup, and will surely become a new symbol of China-Qatar friendship," the envoy said at a reception.
Suhail is the name of one of the brightest stars visible in the Gulf region, while Soraya is the Arabic name for the Pleiades star cluster.
