When Qatar won the bid for the 2022 World Cup back in 2010, there was skepticism from footballing world. Much was written and spoken about as to how they didn’t deserve to host the greatest footballing extravaganza, whether the event will be held in summer or winter, can the Arab country go on to deliver on everything that they have promised in their 800-page bid document.
Several articles such as 20 reasons why the World Cup will be a disaster and listicles around the same were common trend across social media. There was talk of how it would cost $200 billion and also how the cooling technology which Qatar spoke of would never see the light of day.
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However, Qatar has gradually and over the years managed to silence the critics at least with the introducing of the state-of-the-art cooling technology at the Khalifa Stadium, the first venue which has been refurbished for the 2022 World Cup.
Dr.Saud Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Ghani, Professor at the College of Engineering at Qatar University, has been the brain behind the cooling technology which has made Khalifa the first open style air conditioned stadium.
Around 500 jet nozzles will blast out cold air, keeping temperatures at around 23-to-25 degrees Celsius for fans and players alike.
“These nozzles are specially designed in Qatar, with plastic moveable parts which are more durable and allow air to be pushed to the area we want it to reach,” said Dr.Saud.
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They have come up with a special helmet which shall use a solar-powered fan to blow air over a cooled material at the top of the helmet in order to reduce the skin temperature of the construction worker.
Qatar has also innovated a coating which shall withstand 45 minutes of heat by using a polystyrene material which incorporates silica aerogel.
They have developed a signature pitch after a couple of year’s research wherein they conducted 14 different varieties of tests such as how fast the ball rolls across the surface, the bounce and of course, the feedback from the players too was taken in.
In its effort to showcase Qatar as a knowledge hub, the Jossor Institute was launched with the purpose of provide education, training and development solutions, which will help individuals and organisations develop the skills and expertise to deliver world-class, high-profile sporting and leisure events.
Nasser Al Khater, Assistant Secretary General for Tournament Affairs for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, acknowledged that Qatar has worked hard in order to be a knowledge hub for the footballing world.
“There has been a lot of research that has went in. Dr. Saud has done immense research in World Cup related projects. We have been getting a lot of requests in the last two weeks to help with cooling stadiums. It’s nice to see that your expertise, which is ground breaking, is something which we are being asked to give advice on. We have been asked to give advice on the pitch management too,” he responded when questioned about Qatar’s conscious decision to not just be viewed as the host of the 2022 World Cup but to deliver an amazing and innovative experience for fans and players alike.