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DOHA, Qatar - Qatars sports minister says the 2022 World Cup will set a benchmark of excellence that will be almost impossible to beat and promised in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that the Gulf nation will implement labour reforms in the next few months.Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali also insisted that Qatar wouldnt jeopardize its hosting of the World Cup and ambitions of being at the front and centre of sports by funding terrorism.He was vague on whether alcohol will be sold inside World Cup stadiums and how gay fans will be welcomed at the 2022 tournament.The minister left no doubt that Qatar wants its World Cup — financed with vast oil-and-gas wealth — to stun the world. He said the Middle East needs something like this. Its hope. Its giving the youth in this region really a positive event that can change a lot of their hopes and dreams.Qatars name is now a brand related to quality, to luxury. We will not jeopardize this brand (by) holding a World Cup that is not successful, the minister said. He anticipated that on opening night in 2022, hell be saying to himself: God help the country that will host the World Cup after us.Really. I will stick to that. You will see that we will put a benchmark that is going to be almost impossible to beat.On allegations that Qatar supports the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria and other extremists, al-Ali insisted it would make no sense for a country that wants to hold the World Cup and big events almost every year to be financing terror.This is ridiculous, the minister said. The countrys ruling emir has also said Qatar doesnt support terrorists, but the minister expanded on the reasoning for that.Citing the example of Afghanistan, which became an al-Qaida and Taliban stronghold after the United States armed and financed anti-Soviet fighters there in the 1980s, the minister said: If you support any terrorist group it will not bring you any good. It is only going to haunt you one day.So we dont believe in that, we dont do that, he said. We are not ready anyway to take that risk because we know its dangerous for us.But it was al-Alis vigorous insistence that Qatar will tackle the ill-treatment of migrant workers which stood out most in the 90-minute interview in a luxury hotel overlooking the Aspire sports academy in Doha, the capital, where young players who will make up Qatars 2022 squad are being hot-housed.Qatar qualifies automatically for the tournament as hosts.The minister said his own father worked as a 12-year-old labourer in the oil industry in very hard conditions that today would be like child abuse.We understand this problem. For us, its a human question, he said. Qataris arent vicious people who are like vampires, he added. We have emotions, we feel bad.Human rights groups have documented ill-treatment in Qatar of migrant workers from Asia and Africa and conditions they say amount to forced labour.Critics accuse Qatars government of being slow to act and warn that labourers flooding into the country to build World Cup stadiums, rail networks, roads, hotels and other massive public works will be vulnerable to abuse if Qatar doesnt change and better enforce its laws. Such problems arent unique to Qatar and have long been an issue across the Gulf, but the World Cup has shone the spotlight on the 2022 host.We are under focus now which, OK, its tough, al-Ali said. It is something that really needs big, big work from us. But we are really tackling this problem face-to-face. We are not hiding.Although World Cup organizers introduced mandatory welfare obligations for contractors in the last year, changes to the labour law were only proposed by the Qatari government in May.Al-Ali said those reforms have now been through cabinet and will get final approval in the next few months.Critics say the changes dont go far enough. But al-Ali said Qatars measures could drive change across the Gulf, perhaps even upsetting some neighbours.It is going to be good for not only the labourers in Qatar but in the whole region, which might upset some people.On other issues:—Al Ali said creative solutions can be found to allow alcohol sales to visiting World Cup fans. For now, alcohol is only sold in selected Doha hotels and visitors must show their passports to enter these bars. Residents with a license to shop there can also buy alcohol in a government-run store. But World Cup organizer FIFA has a sponsorship deal with a brewer and it leaned on Brazil, the last tournament host, to allow beer sales in its 2014 World Cup stadiums. Asked specifically about alcohol in 2022 stadiums, the minister offered no guarantee.In the hotels and many areas we have alcohol but we have also our own system that people need to respect, he said. As we bid for 2022, we will respect all the rules and regulations by FIFA. We can study this and minimize the impact on our people and tradition. I think we can be creative, finding solutions for all of this. But we respect all the rules and regulations.—Asked how gay people will be welcomed in 2022, al-Ali replied: Its exactly like the alcohol question.He said Qatar doesnt want to create this impression, illusion that we dont care about our tradition and our ethical values ... We are studying all these issues. We can adapt, we can be creative to have people coming and enjoying the games without losing the essence of our culture and respecting the preference of the people coming here. I think there is a lot we can do.—The minister minimized the impact of an apparent sports boycott by two of Qatars neighbours, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. They are pulling teams from the mens World Handball Championships that Qatar is hosting in January. This follows the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Doha in March. They and Saudi Arabia, which also withdrew its ambassador, are unhappy with Qatars support of Islamist groups across the region.Still, al-Ali insisted that the handball tournament is going to be very successful and said sports should unite nations.It makes me happy when people use sports to solve differences and get together and away from politics.___Rob Harris can be followed at www.twitter.com/RobHarris and John Leicester at www.twitter.com/JohnLeicester Sports Shoes Australia Cheap . Woods said Friday that his charity event, which attracts a world-class field even without being part of any tour, will move in December 2014 to Isleworth, the course where he honed his professional game from 1996 until moving away to south Florida two years ago. Running Shoes Australia Sale ., will experience this week. 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"When I got my second foul, I sat down and looked up said, Wow, I have nine (points) already. I havent really played that much. This might be a career game," Faried said. "Thats what I love to do -- have fun and play basketball. When its that exciting and that much fun you have no worries, really. You just think about winning. "Coach (Brian Shaw) wanted me to impose my will on (the Pelicans) Anthony Davis ... not shy away or back down." That wasnt an issue in the second half, when Davis sat out with back spasms. He finished with six points and three rebounds. Tyreke Evans scored 27 points to lead New Orleans. The Nuggets raced to a 40-26 lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back, making 15 of 27 3-pointers compared to 2 of 9 for New Orleans, a 39-point difference. The 137 points tied the Nuggets season scoring high. "They (Nuggets) just ran up and down the court and did what they wanted to do. They did make some unbelievable 3s, they were on fire tonight," Evans said. "We knew that at the beginning of the game Faried was going to come out aggressive and we didnt do a good job of stopping him." The Pelicans had no answers inside for Faried, who went unchecked numerous times for backdoor dunks and easy short jumpers. "I think that is how Faried should be playing," teammate Ty Lawson said. "I compare him to a little bit like Charles Barkley the way he can get the ball to the rim, make good decisions and pass it." Farieds previous career best was 32 points against the Lakers on March 7. "He is succeeding in areas he has struggled in before and so that is just making him supremely confident," Shaw said.dddddddddddd "When you have that (confidence) then the game starts to slow down for you." The Pelicans trailed 71-53 at halftime. The 71 points were the most they allowed in the first half this season. The previous high was 64 points twice. "We didnt play well to start the game. In the month of March we set a high bar for how we can play, regardless of whos on the floor," New Orleans coach Monty Williams said. "Since Ive been here weve never given up these type of numbers with our defence." Denver led 105-81 after three quarters and cruised to the victory from there. "Thats the toughest part for me, allowing teams to score like that," Williams said. "Thought they had way too many easy points in the paint." Reserve Aaron Brooks scored 24 points for Denver, going 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. "I just wanted to be more aggressive. Talked to coach before the game and he said he wanted at least three, so I got that quota," Brooks said. "The big guy (Davis) wasnt in there (in the second half), and once hes out its time to attack the rim. We shared the ball and had a lot of assists." The victory moved the Nuggets ahead of the Pelicans for 11th place in the Western Conference and gave them a split of the four-game season series. The Nuggets led in assists (34-21) and blocks (12-7) and committed fewer turnovers (11-16). The Pelicans held a 42-40 rebounding edge. NOTES: Nuggets F Wilson Chandler missed his sixth straight game with a left groin strain. ... Pelicans G Eric Gordon missed his seventh consecutive game with tendinitis in his left knee. ... The Nuggets tied their season high with 12 blocks. . The Nuggets 15 3-pointers tied their season high. ' ' '