The term “sustainability” may have entered our lexicon in recent decades, but in fact it has been practiced for millions of years. According to research, since the Paleolithic era, people have been interested in the environment and cared about the selective management of their game. Nowadays, sustainability is a prerequisite even for a sporting event. At the recent World Cup in Qatar, one of the issues addressed by the International Football Federation was the issue of sustainability. In fact, the responsible person in this area was the Greek Giorgos Mixioudis, who designs, builds and operates FIFA football facilities.

“In the file submitted by the candidate country, among other things, there should be references to the environment not only of the area where the event will be held, but also of the area that will supply the materials. The areas of sustainability are the limitation of greenhouse gas emissions, objects, for example. field orientation, waste management both during construction and during the event, water management and air pollution reduction. As for the last sector, in Qatar the stadiums were located next to each other, and, for example, in Russia, they had to carry out flights, etc.,” Giorgos Mixioudis told kathimerini.gr.

Qatar’s sustainable development strategy for the World Cup, according to the results, laid the foundation for the sustainable holding of major sporting events. The Khalifa and Al Janoub stadiums have been certified with four stars by the Global Sustainability Rating System. At Al Bayat, 70% of the exterior lighting was done with panels, and its canopy, which was black in the original proposal, was painted white because black requires more light, and therefore more energy consumption. Sports enthusiasts could even charge their mobile phones with the appropriate pads. In Ahmed bin Ali, after the peace, the capacity is predicted to be halved, and as for its reconstruction, the previous stage was recycled and used by 90%. In Al Thumam, 80% of the plants used were purchased locally, and for the Induction City Stadium, 55% of the building materials were sourced from Qatar.

Stage – a model in the field of sustainable development

But what could be described as… a sustainability guide is “974”. A particular stadium was transported in containers and for its construction, in addition to the materials that were in the containers, the containers themselves were used. So it had natural ventilation and also had a reduction in energy. The initial plan then involves dismantling it, placing it in containers, and transporting it to another country.

“According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, among other things, energy consumption was reduced by 30% due to insulation and proper field orientation, energy efficiency and LED lighting. 850,000 m2 of new green space with 16,000 trees, habitats and recycled water helped to reduce the overall temperature. Water consumption was 30% less than the original target as recycled water and steam were used. With proper stadium planning, 170,000 seats will be donated and stadiums will be dismantled and relocated. The venues will operate all year round with retractable roofs. Some others will be reused by the community as hospitals, schools, places of worship, hotels, and as sports facilities for walking, cycling, etc. 25% of the buses were electric and there were 100 charging stations. 2000 tons of game waste was recycled, that is 80%,” Mr. Giorgos Mixioudis told us.

The day after organizing the World Cup, Mr. Mixioudis found himself working on another football event to “accept” the environment. Sustainability is now a key parameter in sports, from the construction of sports facilities to the daily life of an athlete. The International Olympic Committee has developed a campaign through which it encourages athletes to be inspired by actions that have a positive impact on the environment, and then to become something of a more sustainable lifestyle ambassador themselves, so that sport can make its mark on and off the playground for a better future.

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