The tender for the first solar-powered World Cup 2022 stadium has been issued and the winners will be announced in November or December, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has said. Construction should follow soon thereafter and if all goes according to plan, Al Wakrah stadium will be complete as soon as 2015.
“The stadium will be developed in conjunction with Qatar Foundation at Education City,” Hotelier Middle East reports, and an additional five of the 12 planned stadia are in either planning or tender stages.
Qatar is taking their world cup planning very seriously, as they hope to create a cultural, economic and social legacy, although this will depend a great deal on how well they treat their foreign workers during the process.
“Our aim is to ensure that the event contributes to achieving the targets set in the 2030 National Vision and to ensure this, it is of the utmost importance that the entire nation works together in a spirit of close cooperation,” said secretary general Hassan Al Thawadi.
Plans for a giant revolving crystal ball that will host a FIFA soccer museum were also unveiled recently, promising a grand but decidedly ungreen spectacle.
Recently the committee confirmed that they would be willing to host the World Cup in winter if there is sufficient demand from the international community, although they insist that their air-conditioned facilities will keep patrons suitably cool.
Usually the soccer tournament is held in June or July, but FIFA is considering the possibility of switching it to November or December in 2022, Critics worry that this will require many clubs to completely arrange their annual schedule.
Luckily they have a whole decade to work it out. Stay tuned.
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
