Doha to Use ’22 WC Cooling Technology if ’17 WAC Bid Wins

If successful in their bid to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships, Doha will use the same air-cooling technology that they plan to employ during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Qatari capital is one of four cities bidding to host the event alongside London, who want to stage the Championships in the stadium being built for next year’s Olympics, and are seen as the English capital’s biggest rival.

Doha’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics failed two years ago because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that holding the Games there in July or August could be too dangerous because of the searing heat at that time of the year in the Gulf.

But pioneering cooling technology was invented during the country’s controversial bid to host the World Cup to counter the threat of average temperatures in Qatar in the summer which peak at around 41 Celsius and can often pass 50 degrees Celsius and they now plan to utilise that in the World Championships if they are awarded the event.

Qatar has developed system of solar-powered, air-cooled stadiums with roofs designed to shelter the fans and players. Qatar proposes playing World Cup matches in 12 stadiums equipped with the technology.

The technology can keep the temperature at under 20 degrees Celsius – a long way below the 30-degree mark at which most medical experts agree conditions become dangerous. 

If Qatar officials also manage to convince the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) of the benefits of the system then it could also have major benefits for its proposed bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

A spokesman for the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) told insidethegames: “We are presently considering the potential dates for hosting the 2017 IAAF World Championships, and we will enter discussions with the IAAF over dates at the appropriate time during the bidding process.

“Should Qatar’s bid for the Championships be successful, the proposed stadium would be Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium which will be fully equipped with the latest environmentally friendly air-cooling technology.”