Sports Technology

Qatar has appointed the lead project manager and design consultant for the first of its FIFA World Cup 2022 stadia.

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee announced it has appointed KEO as the project manager and AECOM as the design consultant for its Al Wakrah Stadium.

The statement confirmed the top-tiers of the 45,000-seater stadium will be modular and, following the tournament, the capacity of the stadium will be reduced to 20,000. The remaining 25,000 seats will be removed, donated and re-constructed in countries that require assistance in developing sporting infrastructure.

Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi explained "this is an important step for us as we deliver on our innovative hosting concept.

"We are looking forward to working with our partners on Al Wakrah Stadium to construct an amazing sporting facility that both serves the local community and integrates with Al Wakrah's fabric.

"We are delighted with the sustainable legacy that this stadium, as well as forthcoming ones, will leave behind for Qatar and the world."

AECOM will work with Zaha Hadid Architects on the design and delivery of the stadium. The statement also confirmed KEO and AECOM will undertake a community survey of the residents of Al Wakrah, aimed at gauging public opinion on development of the area surrounding the stadium.

Qatar is poised to spend $130 billion on infrastructure projects ahead of hosting the FIFA World Cup tournament in 2022, according to a report in October 2012 by KFH-Research.

Construction of Qatar's first stadium for the 2022 World Cup tournament will start in 2013, officials from the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee said in October 2012.

Qatar has also hired IMG and Amsterdam Arena as stadium operations consultants for the prestigious football tournament.

In a statement, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee said that the two would assist on the development of business cases for all of the competition venues during the event, including stadia and their precincts, as well as training sites.

Amsterdam Arena and IMG will also perform technical reviews of each stadium at every design phase, on aspects including safety and security, maintenance, technology integration, catering and commercial strategies.

Amsterdam Arena Chief Executive Henk Markerink explained "by involving us in this early stage and letting us develop the program wide strategies on various subjects we can optimally contribute to the organisation of the World Cup."

Amsterdam Arena is the owner and operator of the Dutch city's multifunctional football stadium, which is home to top tier club AFC Ajax and recently hosted the UEFA Europa League Final.

IMG, based in New York, is one of the world's largest sport management agencies.

Negotiations and debate about Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup continues with Qatar seeking to reduce the number of stadia it builds for the event from 12 to eight or nine amid rising costs.

With uncertainty surrounding whether stadium cooling technologies will be achievable during the heat of the Qatari summer, suggestions abound that the event will be moved to the (northern hemisphere) winter, with the event to be held in January 2022.

26th April 2013 - QATAR MOVES FORWARD IN DEVELOPING SOLAR STADIUM COOLING

22nd November 2012 - QATAR FACES FIFA WORLD CUP BID INVESTIGATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGES

8th June 2011 - QATAR PLANS TO BUILD FIRST WORLD CUP STADIUM BY 2015

16th May 2011 - QATAR SHOWCASES STADIUM COOLING TECHNOLOGIES