SC Continues Promoting Sustainability, Environmental Protection Efforts in Preparation for World Cup

Doha, February 24 (QNA) - As part of its commitment to considering aspects of sustainability and environmental protection during the preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) continues to implement many projects and measures to enhance continuous efforts to build a sustainable legacy that will reflect on the countrys future after the World Cup competitions. The committee stated on its official website that the Arab Cup, hosted by Qatar at the end of last year, was an ideal opportunity to advance the preparations for hosting the Football World Cup at the end of this year, as ten major features emerged in terms of sustainability and environmental protection, and work continues to build on and strengthen them in the Qatar World Cup. 2022, to leave the World Cup a sustainable legacy for future generations. The first of these features was hosting the first dismantled stadium for football competitions, which is the 974th stadium, where the championship competitions witnessed the first match on its land on the first day. Stadium 974, built mainly from shipping containers, hosted its first match on the opening day of the tournament. Its innovative design means it can be completely dismantled with its components reused to create sporting facilities in Qatar and overseas. Stadium 974 is a potential game-changer for future mega-event hosts and will stage seven matches during Qatar 2022 up to the round of 16 stage. All tournament stadiums were designed and operated in accordance with the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) standards and are on track to achieve at least 4-star GSAS certification. GSAS is a performance-based sustainable building rating system that helps to minimize the ecological impact of a development while preserving the values, traditions, and identity of the region Throughout the tournament, ticket holders and accredited staff had access to free public transport. More than 2.5 million journeys were made on the Doha Metro during the tournament, with 240,000 directly related to fans attending matches. Zero waste from tournament venues was sent to landfill during the FIFA Arab Cup, while 70 percent was successfully recycled at Al Bayt Stadium. Avoiding production of waste, maximizing the use of recyclable or compostable materials, and encouraging workforce and fans to segregate waste contributed to the effort. On top of the state-of-the-art accessible infrastructure in all venues, several steps were taken during the tournament to ensure an accessible stadium experience for disabled fans and those with limited mobility. The measures included the provision of volunteers dedicated to ensuring an accessible user journey, accessible toilet facilities, the provision of low height concession counters and the availability of accessible seating, including extra wide seats. Additionally, golf carts were made available to escort disabled fans and those with limited mobility to the stadium gates. Blind and partially sighted fans were able to enjoy audio descriptive commentary in Arabic at a FIFA tournament for the first time. Using their personal mobile devices and headphones and a dedicated mobile app, fans could listen to play-by-play commentary in detail. This included information about the stadiums ambience and even the reaction on players faces. Plans are underway to ensure this service is available in Arabic and English at all tournament venues during Qatar 2022. Fans of children with autism and perceptual difficulties were also able to attend matches in the Arab Cup from the sensory assistance room at Education City Stadium, which is the first permanent sensory assistance room in World Cup stadiums. The room, which is located within one of the hospitality suites (Sky Box), provides a space specially equipped with lighting suitable for this category of fans, as it relieves their feelings of turmoil and anxiety that may affect them during matches. There are plans to set up sensory assistance rooms in three stadiums during the World Cup in Qatar. Tobacco use is prohibited at all FIFA tournaments to help protect the health of participants and attendees, particularly those that may be affected by second-hand smoke. Staff, volunteers, and Ministry of Public Health inspectors worked to ensure awareness of this policy and enforced it across all six tournament venues. There is no place for discriminatory behavior in football. With passions running high during the tournament, systems were put in place to prevent, avoid, and stop any behavior that might be deemed discriminatory or affect other peoples rights. In addition, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Human Rights Grievance Mechanism was launched before the FIFA Arab Cup and will continue to address any human rights complaints in the lead-up to and during the tournament. In the build-up to the tournament, more than 5,000 staff, volunteers and contractors received training on different aspects of delivering a sustainable tournament. The training, delivered by tournament organizers, covered a wide range of sustainability topics, including accessibility awareness, anti-discrimination, waste recycling and the implementation of the FIFA Event Policy on Tobacco. It is noteworthy that earlier this year, the SC and FIFA issued the second progress report on the sustainability of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and reviewed the achievements in taking into account aspects of sustainability during the ongoing preparations to host the World Cup. (QNA)