Canberra To Serve As '11 Host Qatar's Base During 2015 Asian Cup In January

The 2011 Asian Cup's host nation, Qatar, will "base itself in Canberra in the lead-up to next year's tournament in Australia," with Cup organizers promising the event will "leave a lasting legacy in the ACT," according to Chris Wilson of the CANBERRA TIMES. But while ACT football will "benefit from upgrades to lighting at allocated training venues at McKellar and Deakin stadiums, the bulk of the renovations to Canberra Stadium will only be temporary" during the Asian Cup in January. The ACT government paid A$3.5M ($3.3M) to host seven matches of the Asian Cup, including a quarterfinal, from Jan. 10-23. Tournament organizers are set to "ramp up facility upgrades at Canberra Stadium from next month, including boosting Wi-Fi capacity, renovating corporate facilities for VIP guests and increasing media capacity." The stadium will "also need to be stripped of all sponsorship signage, including naming rights sponsor GIO, during the tournament" (CANBERRA TIMES, 9/2).