Education City Stadium: Legacy and Values

Cynthia Chance, Georgetown University

One of the challenges for any mega sporting event is what to do with the stadia once the fans have left. Qatar has an interesting idea for a legacy use for the stadium. The plan is to donate 20,000 seats to developing countries to give them a boost in their development of stadia of their own; and the remainder to be used by Qatar Foundation staff and students and the Qatar Women’s team. The stadium donation will leave a lasting legacy of equity in sporting for Qatar and the region. How does this enhance the value of the mega sporting event for the region, provide a socially conscious solution to the problem of underused stadia, and how does this strategy tie into social improvements described in Qatar’s vision 2030?