Football players and their fans who go on preseason tours of the Far East "no longer face having to swelter in boiling hot stadiums thanks to revolutionary cooling technology," according to Anthony Harwood of the London DAILY MAIL. Under new systems being pioneered in Qatar for the next World Cup, "cold air will be pumped into arenas via cooling nozzles" after chilled water is brought to the venue by pipeline. The 2022 World Cup is being held in the winter for the first time to avoid the "searing summer heat." But tests with 48,000 fans at the Khalifa Stadium in Doha showed that with cooling technology, the temperature will be "brought down to a more comfortable" 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) on the pitch and 23 degrees Celsius (73.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in the stands. Korean FA President Chung Mong-gyu said that the stadium cooling technology being pioneered by Qatar "could have a far-reaching effect across the Asian continent." He said, "A lot of leagues in Asia now have the backing of top corporate houses of those countries -- South Korea, China, Japan and recently India. Qatar's cooling system might be something these leagues could consider using after 2022 because a lot of matches are scheduled during summer months" (DAILY MAIL, 10/4).
