Bold Technology for a Cool, Compact World Cup is Highlighted in Qatar's Historic Bid
Zurich, Switzerland, May 14, 2010: In its quest to be the first Middle Eastern country to host football’s greatest event, Qatar is putting the spotlight on its bold technical plan— nincluding a proposal to share state-of-the-art air-cooling technologies and modular stadiums with the developing world--in their ambitious bid book for the 2022 World Cup, presented here today at FIFA Headquarters. A senior delegation representing the Qatar 2022 Bid Committee, headed by Chairman, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, delivered Qatar’s 750-page bid book and additional seven binders with over 2,000 pages of supplementary documents to FIFA President Joseph S.Blatter and FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.
The entire dossier, weighing in at more than 20 kilograms, is concerned with all relevant issues ranging from accommodation, transport, security, environment and stadium infrastructure and is backed up with all required government guarantees and agreements.
Within Qatar’s plan for a compact World Cup are big dreams for football and those who share a passion for it. Qatar 2022 will be the first carbon-neutral World Cup, utilising sustainable technologies and groundbreaking cooling systems for its twelve state-of the-art stadiums, fan zones and training grounds. Spectators, players and officials will be able to enjoy cool and comfortable open-air conditions not exceeding 27 degrees celsius.
The various technological breakthroughs proposed by Qatar 2022 will leave lasting legacies to football worldwide. The technical details of the air-cooling technologies will be shared with developing countries with similar climates so that the entire world can play football 365 days a year. Qatar is also promoting plans to provide 170,000 stadium seats to developing countries through the use of innovative modular components in the stadiums. Nations previously limited in their ability to host major football events due to climate or inadequate physical capacity will now have the resources and know-how to do so.
Chairman of the Qatar 2022 Bid Committee, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, said: “Today I proudly represent the people of Qatar and our region who share our hopes and dreams to bring the World Cup home. We have presented FIFA with a bid book that combines breakthrough technologies with a plan to share them with the developing world. We wanted to meet FIFA’s commitment to social development through football. The benefits of the first World Cup in the Middle East will reach all four corners of the globe.”
The Qatari bid is strengthened by unswerving support from the government and ties in with the official ‘Qatar National Vision 2030’ and ‘Qatar Master Plan’ in which transportation systems in Qatar will be revolutionised with a new Doha International Airport and a new Qatar Metro Network System linking all twelve stadiums. Public support at home and across the region is overwhelming for the bid that represents the hopes and dreams of the Middle East. This was recently demonstrated with the pledge of support issued by the Arab Football Federation in Riyadh in December 2009 and at the beginning of April in Beirut, when the region’s Youth and Sports Ministers offered their backing for Qatar’s ambitious plans to bring the World Cup to the region for the first time in the history of the event. In addition, the Arab Football Federation reiterated its unanimous backing for the Qatar 2022 Bid during the Congress held in Jeddah at the end of April this year.
Hassan Al Thawadi, CEO of the Qatar 2022 Bid Committee, added: “Qatar 2022 would be a tailor-made, compact FIFA World Cup with stunning stadiums and seamless transportation. The bid book demonstrates our capacity to host a completely uniqueFIFA World Cup; one that will enable fans to see more than one match in a day as no stadium will be more than an hour apart by public transportation. Fans will also be able to stay in the same accommodation throughout the tournament, saving them time and money. And by 2022, Qatar will have approximately 110,000 hotel rooms and serviced apartments, 90,000 of which have been guaranteed for FIFA’s use during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”
“The Middle East, with its population set to grow to more than 400 million in the next decade, offers FIFA and the football family an unprecedented opportunity to develop the game and its commercial base in a region that is passionate about football. But Qatar’s FIFA World Cup legacy goes further. It would help build bridges between east and west. And, through a commitment to share our groundbreaking cooling technologies with the rest of the world and working with FIFA to donate 170,000 stadium seats from our modular stadiums to developing countries at the end of the competition, this is a bid for the region and for the world. Qatar is ready to deliver.”
Qatar has proven its ability to provide a secure and stable environment for worldwide events in the recent past, notably playing host to the immensely successful Asian Games in 2006. With a secure environment of economic and political stability in Qatar and across the Gulf region, combined with the unique plans submitted in the bid book, Qatar has demonstrated its capability to host a groundbreaking FIFA World Cup in 2022.
FIFA’s Executive Committee will vote on the locations of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup Finals on December 2, 2010, in Zurich, Switzerland.
-ENDS
Note to Editors:
1. The Qatar 2022 Delegation in Zurich today is:
H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairman, Qatar 2022
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Football Association
Hassan Al Thawadi, Chief Executive, Qatar 2022
Yasir Al Jamal, Technical Bid Book Director, Qatar 2022
2. The Qatar 2022 bid book documents have been producted through a joint venture comprising the German Consultants AS&P, ProProjekt and Serviceplan.
3. Images of the Qatar delegation in Zurich will be available via www.gettyimages.com at around 4pm local time.
Qatar 2022 Stadium Pictures
Images of the five stadiums unveiled by Qatar 2022 last month can be accessed via image.net at the following address
http://www.image.net/xads/actions/layout/owner.do?owner=136166834
If you are not registered with Image.net, please register at www.image.net. Once you have filled out some basic details, you will receive an email with a password to login and access the images.
For more information contact:
Christian Fianco
Email: media@qatar2022bid.com
www.qatar2022bid.com
Mobile: +974 5669340