THE 15th Asian Games dominate Qatar’s tourism schedule. To run from December 1 to 15 and promoted as the ‘The Games of Your Life’, they also mean much new construction and infrastructure development.
With 10,000 athletes from 45 countries are expected to participate in 39 competitive sports totalling 412 events, not to mention innumerable spectators, Doha 2006 is ideal to market Qatar overseas as a tourist and MICE destination, and to promote it for its state-of-the-art medical and educational facilities.
The Athletes’ Village, for example, with 856 apartments and 45 national offices will be turned into Hamad Medical City after The Games, complete with clinical facilities and accommodation for medical professionals. Another facility, the 290,000 sqm Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence, with its 46-metre-high dome, seating 15,000 spectators, will be used to train the state’s future Olympic champions.
National carrier Qatar Airways has dressed several of its planes in Doha 2006 livery and the state itself is all geared up with buildings wraps and Games mascot, ‘Orry’ the oryx everywher e on the street.
With less than 300 days to go, organising committee director general Abdulla Al Qahtani emphasised Qatar’s readiness for The Games. Venue planning cycles, he said, are complete for the 30 sports facilities and 14 multi-purpose stadiums and the Games Security Task Force has finalised plans for detailed security implementation across the country.
Catering, waste management, hospitality, venue housekeeping, property management and medical facilities tenders have been finalised and the tender process to purchase sports equipment has begun.
Hundreds of brand-new air-conditioned coaches will transport athletes, transport and parking facilities for spectators and media facilities for visiting journalists are being prepared, and hundreds of new service apartments are nearing completion to house visitors.