Qatar's cool idea for the World Cup... the man-made cloud operated by remote control

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 1:15 AM on 25th March 2011

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• Clouds made from a 'lightweight carbon structure'
  
• Stadia will also be fitted with solar-powered air-conditioning
  

For Qatar's World Cup 2022 organisers tasked with finding new ways to keep the hot sun off players' backs, the sky's the limit... literally.

Tournament chiefs plan to blot out the sun with artificial clouds in a bid to provide shade for stadiums and training grounds during the sweltering summer.

The clouds will be made from a 'light weight carbon structure' carrying a giant envelope filled with helium.

Hi tech: The clouds will be made from a 'light weight carbon structure' carrying a giant envelope filled with helium. Four solar-powered engines will be guided by remote control

Tournament officials will then move them with four solar-powered engines by remote control.

The extreme heat in summer months in the Middle Eastern country has led to concern about conditions at the tournament, with some suggesting it should be played in the winter.

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Qatari officials said they will air condition the stadia via solar power and now scientists at Qatar University have designed the 'cloud' which can be produced at a cost of £310,000 each.

Saud Abdul Ghani, head of the mechanical and industrial engineering department, told Gulf News the 'clouds' will be made from a lightweight carbon structure carrying a giant envelope of material containing helium gas.

State of the art: An artitist's impression of the Al-Rayyan stadium which will play host to World Cup matches

Sky's the limit: The clouds will hover over 86,000-capacity Lusail Stadium Stadium, in Lusail City, left, and the Al-Wakrah Stadium complex in Doha, right

Four solar powered engines move the structure via remote control.

The decision to award Qatar the tournament sparked controversy when it was announced following a vote by the 22-man executive committee in December. Russia were named hosts for 2018 at the same time.

With temperatures soaring as high as 50 degrees Celsius in the summer there was speculation the World Cup would take place in the winter and alter the fixture calenders of the major leagues across the globe.

It was also suggested that some matches could be played in other areas of the Arabian Gulf due to the close proximity of the stadiums in Qatar.

FIFA have since dismissed both ideas, insisting the tournament will go ahead in the summer and all matches will take place in Qatar.

Didn't see that one coming: FIFA chief Blatter reveals Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup in Zurich last year

Qatar beat bids from Australia, the United States and 2004 World Cup co-hosts Japan and South Korea.

The FIFA committees' decision came as a slight surprise after the US and Australia bids had been highly-fancied.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad Al-Thani said at the time of the vote that the decision to award the nation the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup marked a 'milestone' for the sport in the Middle East.

Al-Thani said: 'On behalf of millions of people living in the Middle East, thank you. Thank you for believing in us, thank you for having such bold vision. Thank you also for acknowledging this is the right time for the Middle East. We have a date with history which is summer 2022.

Fan-fare: Qataris celebrated when they were awarded the 2022 World Cup at the vote in December

'We acknowledge there is a lot of work to do and we stand by our promise and we will honour the sacred trust given to us today. We will deliver with a lot of passion and we will make sure this is a milestone in the history of the Middle East and in the history of FIFA.'

But the decision was not welcomed by everybody.

The 2022 tournament was plunged into fresh controversy when FIFA president Sepp Blatter and other senior officials had suggested Qatar could host the first winter World Cup, even if it plunged the football calendar into chaos.

With mid-summer temperatures rising in Qatar to as high as 41C (106F), there were suggestions that the tournament would be played at a cooler time of the year.

While there is no suggestion that Qatar are in breach of any FIFA regulations, a report in The Wall Street Journal in January claimed to have documents revealing the amount of money spent to gain votes from members of the FIFA executive.

The report claimed there was 'a spending spree that included investments in the home countries of several executives who were responsible for choosing the host nation, according to internal documents from the emirate's bidding committee'.

It said Qatar 'paid soccer luminaries - hailing from France, Spain, Argentina and elsewhere - who publicly endorsed its bid', according to Qatar bid committee documents and emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal with 'some paid more than a million dollars in connection with the endorsements'.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter was forced to apologised for saying gay fans should 'refrain from sexual activity' if they go to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and Blatter's original comments provoked outrage among gay rights groups who said he should apologise or resign.

There have also been calls to boycott the event over Qatar's homosexuality laws.

Drinking alcohol in public is also illegal in Qatar.

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