Our small country has a large carbon impact given the resources we use here in Doha, but our growing vegan trend and Qatar’s commitment to delivering one of the greenest and carbon-neutral tournaments in the history of the cup means our country has already invested billions in sustainable and innovative solutions in order to achieve such a goal.
By the time 2022 arrives, more than 850,000metresquare of new green spaces will have been created in the stadium areas, and more than 5,000 trees would have been planted. It means the stadiums will become the ‘green lungs’ of Doha, a promising milestone for our healthy community.
Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, which will be built from shipping containers, will be completely dismantled following the tournament. This approach reduces the waste generated during production of stadium components and the waste created on-site during construction.
In addition to this, Doha Metro is already on track to provide a fast, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way for everyone to reach matches, fan zones and accommodation during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This is why I recently launched a healthy, vegan ‘on-the-go’ concept at the Metro ahead of the hundreds of thousands of World Cup guests who will be travelling to/from matches, many of whom who are conscious about their environmental footprint and want to ‘go green’ in every way, including by eating plant-based foods on-the-go.
Statistics show that footballs fans are eight times more likely to be vegan or vegetarian than any other sporting fans, and while many stereotype this group of fans for being known for consuming junk food and soda, it’s time to wake up and realise the dietary changes taking place in today’s society. Fans are following the footsteps of the players and the likes of Sergio Aguero, and Lionel Messi. Each adopts the Vegan lifestyle, consuming only plant-based products as their fuel for football.
Football fans are also six times more likely to be focused on health and wellness in ways other than diet, ensuring they are environmental friendly where possible, and reducing the number of cars needed to travel to games.
2022 is an important target for our country and for healthy community’s everywhere. By 2022, veganism is expected to grow by 10 times as much as it exists today — let’s ensure we are ready as a country to provide all attendees with an amazing, healthy, green game.
*The author is an expert in vegan wellbeing and health. Instagram handle: @Ghanim92
