FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – the Al-Bayt Stadium

Football
Cable InstallationsStadiums & Arenas
Qatar

In the third blog in our Qatar 2022 series, we look at another of the region’s top stadia being prepared for World Cup host duties: the Al-Bayt Stadium. 

The Al-Bayt is a 60,000seat arena that’s covered by a giant tent structure – said mimic the traditional Bedouin tent (Bayt Al Shaar), from which it also takes its name. Located in the northern city of Al Khor, the Al-Bayt has the honour of hosting the opening match of the tournament, as well as fixtures right through to the semi-finals. And if you fancy a kick-about yourself, the park near the stadium will be equivalent to over 30 football pitches. 

Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy – the organisation responsible for World Cup operations and planning – commissioned Gravity Media to do the cabling installation for the Al-Bayt Stadium. The stats are dizzying: the installation required a total of 300km (186 miles) of cable – 76km (47 miles) of Triax, 41km (25 miles) of 8-pair audio, 29km (18 miles) of 12-core fibre, 75km (47 miles) of SMPTE and 72km (45 miles) of 7731A video cable  enabling broadcasters to connect their outside broadcast trucks to 70 positions across the venue through multiple cable formats.  

Installing tactical fibre and SMPTE cable makes the Al-Bayt compatible with the latest broadcast technology, which is particularly important for when the World Cup starts being aired live to around 200 countries globally. The cabling will also future-proof the stadium, ensuring that they have the infrastructure to deliver live broadcasts there for many years to come; the venue’s legacy will include tracks for running, cycling and horse riding. 

We ran the project from our office in Doha, with our in-house team of cable experts working onsite to complete the installation. For enquiries relating to Qatar 22, or any broadcast and production needs in the region, contact the team on enquiries@gravitymedia.com