The Qatar 2022 World Cup Organizing Committee announced that the stadium in Al Khor will be "modeled on a traditional tent used by nomads," according to Elysia Windrum of DOHA NEWS. The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor will seat 60,000 football fans and is "set to be one of the venues" for the semifinals. Al Bayt, meaning "the house," is modeled on the "Bayt Al Sha'ar, a black and white tent traditionally used by nomads around the region." For those "passing through the desert, the presence of this tent symbolized hospitality." The Al Bayt Stadium's exterior will be "covered in fabric, and its interior will reflect the traditional red and white fabric interior." The stadium -- which will be "situated at the heart of a one million square meter complex which will also include a hospital, a mall, and a park -- is scheduled to be competed" by '18. After the World Cup, the "top tier of seats will be removed," reducing the "seating capacity from 60,000 people to 32,000." Furthermore, amid "int'l criticisms about the mistreatment of the country's laborers," officials said that the construction of Al Bayt will be done "under the Workers' Welfare Standards which were launched in February by the SCDL" (DOHA NEWS, 6/22).
