As Qatar and the wider Middle East region continues to increase its position as a host destination for world sporting events, the role that both public and private organisations have to play is key to drawing investment, Marko Blagovic, Dow Chemical Company global sports marketing director said.
Blagovic presented at the recent annual Doha GOALS Forum and took part in a panel discussion on the ways in which public-private partnerships can support the creation of infrastructure and facilities and also inspire youth and the next generation of local sporting heroes.
“Mega sporting events should be seen as both a celebration of athletic achievement and an opportunity to boost economic growth for an entire city, country and region,” Blagovic said.
“Dow’s involvement in mega sporting events over the last 30 years has given us direct exposure to the ways in which public-private partnerships bring together the very best-in-class in terms of knowledge, expertise and execution.”
Dow was invited to speak at the Doha GOALS conference and share its experience in the sports industry as an official Worldwide Olympic Partner and as the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games.
An example of Dow’s innovation in the sporting venue space was showcased at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where a high performance artificial turf system made of special yarn using DOWLEX polyethylene resins were used for the field hockey pitches. This industry-leading technology made playing surfaces safer and higher performing for athletes and also enhanced the sustainability quality by minimising the need for water maintenance.
Another Dow innovation “highly applicable” to the Middle East is a unique elastomeric roof coating which helps to reduce the temperature inside buildings. The formulation is applied to metal, concrete, polyurethane foam bitumen or other roofing materials to substantially increase the amount of sunlight reflected, resulting in significant energy savings through reduced air conditioning costs, as well as a reduction in CO2 emissions.
This technology has been successfully applied in both public sector facilities, such as hospitals and schools, as well as in residential projects.
“We are ready to bring our innovations and sustainable solutions to help Qatar host the 2022 FIFA World Cup”, Blagovic said.
“Qatar has an ambitious vision for the future and Dow is ready to support this vision.”
Dow produces many raw materials used in host city infrastructure and major sport venues. From construction and coating materials to insulation, field and track surfaces, stadium seats as well as water filtration systems, Dow designs sustainable solutions that use chemistry to minimise the environmental footprint and increase the performance and durability of facilities and related infrastructure.
