Stadium 974 is one of the most unique stadiums ever built, and it is important to consider its impact on sustainability when looking at the broader construction of stadiums in general. As one of the stadiums for the FIFA World Cup, Stadium 974 witnessed Korea’s loss to Brazil and elimination, Serbia failing to advance after losing 2-3 to Switzerland, and Poland narrowly making the round of 16 after a losing to the t eventual champion Argentina. As these moments are dramatic and historic in their own way, Stadium 974 is equally historic in its advancement of sustainable stadiums.
Stadium 974 is the first “dismountable” stadium ever built for the World Cup, and it is special for the notable use of 974 shipping containers in its construction, with their interior space being used for important functions such as bathrooms. The 974 is unique because it is the number reflecting the international dialing code of Qatar, which symbolizes a sense of welcome to other nations. It hosted seven games in the FIFA World Cup, consisting of six group stages games, and one game in the round of 16, showing its significance in the event.
Stadium 974 is a part of Qatar’s plan to host a carbon neutral world cup, though various analyses express skepticism toward that claim. Still, Stadium 974 attempts to achieve that claim through designing and building a modular stadium that can be dismounted per-order and shipped to other locations and countries to be reassembled into a functional sports venue. This feature of reassembling addresses a specific issue that comes with constructing stadiums for major sporting events, which is when venues fall into disuse after the initial event. Such a building is also referred to as a “white elephant,” and it brings many associated environmental problems
In the past, the issue of disused stadiums has occurred in many countries. For example, the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio De Janeiro has had very little activity after Brazil hosted the Olympic games in 2016. The Obi Stadium in South Africa that hosted FIFA World Cup matches fell into disrepair after 2010, and the Baseball stadium in Athen met a similar end after the 2004 Summer Olympics as well. These examples highlight the issue with hosting major sporting events and there are not many instances where such big stadiums are required. Therefore, when the sporting events end, people rarely use them. Furthermore, governments also willfully stop funding stadium maintenance in some cases because of the high cost, leaving the stadiums to deteriorate. This results in an environmental issue because the construction of stadiums also emits a lot of greenhouse gasses that worsen climate change. The Carbon Market Watch estimates that Qatar emitted 1.6 Megatonnes CO2 equivalent, illustrating the magnitude of the problem.
Fortunately, stadium 974 theoretically solves this problem because the Qatari government can disassemble it when there are no sporting events that require this addition to the seven other stadiums. It can also be shipped to another country where an additional stadium might be needed, maximizing its convenience. This prevents the stadium from falling into disuse and stretches the utility of the carbon emission invested into the building of this stadium. However, Qatar did not provide clear plans for the future of Stadium 974, so the true potential of Stadium 974 remains ambiguous. Further, the impact of carbon emission of Stadium 974 is not only affected by its modular design and ability to be transported, but also the distance that it is shipped.
Overall, although Stadium 974’s current future is ambiguous, it brings the issue of carbon emission associated with stadium construction into consideration, while also setting an example of a potential solution.
Sources:
Irfan, Umair. “The World Cup Is Missing Its Climate Goals. It Should Still Keep Taking Shots.” Vox, Vox, 10 Dec. 2022, https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/23458620/fifa-world-cup-2022-greenwashing-climate-change.
Press, Associated. “Built to Disappear: World Cup Stadium 974.” ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), 3 Dec. 2022, https://www.abcactionnews.com/sports/built-to-disappear-world-cup-stadium-974.
McCarriston Feb 23, Shanna. “Look: What Abandoned Olympic Venues Look like Now, from Athens to Berlin.” CBSSports.com, 23 Feb. 2022, https://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/look-what-abandoned-olympic-venues-look-like-now-from-athens-to-berlin/.
Ralston, William. “No, Qatar’s World Cup Can’t Be Classed as Carbon-Neutral.” Wired, Conde Nast, 14 Nov. 2022, https://www.wired.com/story/qatar-2022-world-cup-emissions/#:~:text=Despite%20efforts%20to%20reduce%20emissions.
Dufrasne, Gilles. “Poor Tackling: Yellow Card for 2022 FIFA World Cup’s Carbon Neutrality …” Poor Tackling: Yellow Card for 2022 FIFA World Cup’s Carbon Neutrality Claim, Carbon Market Watch, 31 Oct. 2022, https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/poor-tackling-yellow-card-for-2022-fifa-world-cups-carbon-neutrality-claim/.
Written by Brian Yu
Edited by: Wenyan Zhu
Historical Figures in Workers Rights