Sportwashing? The architectural dark side of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar

Sportwashing describes the practice of individuals, groups, corporations, or governments using sports to improve reputations tarnished by wrongdoing.
Sportwashing describes the practice of individuals, groups, corporations, or governments using sports to improve reputations tarnished by wrongdoing.
Nomadic tents, desert dunes, shipping containers, and traditional Arab caps inspired the architecture of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar stadiums.
Architecture should merge with the natural landscape instead of standing out against it, believe at MAD Architects. Their Quzhou Stadium submerges itself into nature to welcome everyone to gather and share the sports spirit.
Populous has inaugurated the National Speed Skating Oval in the Chinese capital. Dubbed the ‘Ice Ribbon’, the oval-shaped stadium features 22 huge light strands which flow around it to create the impression of fast motion.
Italian brand Ethimo launches the ACE furniture collection for outdoor sports, named after the winning serve in tennis.
Kengo Kuma, Kenzo Tange and Fumihiko Maki but also Tange Associates, Kume Sekkei and more… Tokyo Olympics’ architecture is cross-generational and great, even if we can’t be there!
Foster+Partners, Herzog & de Meuron, Kiro Kurokawa and more have designed some of the best stadiums hosting the Euro 2020 games.
A translucent roof and verdant terraces define the massive Xi’an International Football Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects conceived as a temple for sport lovers.
35.000 cypresses, as many as the victim of COVID-19 in Italy, stand in the ‘SANSIRO 2.0 – A A MONUMENT FOR LIFE’ memorial envisioned by Angelo Renna. The proposal repurposes Milan’s iconic stadium as a silent place for contemplation, saving it from demolition.
The Quzhou Sports Campus and public park by MAD Architects in China features a stadium, a pool and other buildings, all hidden in gentle green slopes.
A cosmic vibe with an underlying brutalist and underground fight-club aesthetic define the ultimate Dubai Warehouse Gym by VSHD Design.
Tokyo Olympics’ design: medals made from discarded smartphones, torches upcycling temporary constructions in the wake of the Fukushima calamity and pictograms inspired by the icons firstly introduced for Tokyo 1964 Games.
Millennial’s friendly interior design for ASICS’ Amsterdam headquarters proactively ensures the wellbeing of employees and visitors, sustainably.
Estadio Diablos Rojos by FGP Atelier tops Mexican pyramids-inspired architectures with a roof aptly-shaped in the form of a devil’s tail – referring to the local ‘Red Devils’ baseball team – to bring people together.
A pink and azure misty swimming pool, flower chandeliers and a colourful eggshell castle. Kids and parents are invited to have fun at the in-wonderland Loong Swim Club by X+Living.
France wins the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. We selected 5 stunning architectures which hosted the games.
A demountable roofless stadium (at -25° blankets are provided), a legion of over 1.200 drones creating a floating light-show and a pavilion absorbing light for you to look into the deep darkness of the universe. Winter Olympics 2018 kicked off in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Check the most innovative designs, architectures and technologies on show.
Outer space might sneak a peek on planet Earth, through Asif Khan’s super-dark Vantablack pavilion at PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2018. The “darkest building on earth” features also a hydrophobic water installation recalling cities viewed from other planets.
Muralist Katrien Vanderlinden transformed an old and dull basket court in Belgium into a vibrant playground merging sport and street art.
Chiangmai Life Architects completed the zero carbon footprint Bamboo Sports Hall for Panyaden International School in Thailand combining modern organic design with 21st century engineering.
Brightly coloured walls and mind-bending geometric designs transform a Parisian basketball court sandwiched between a pair of apartment buildings into a futuristic sport venue.
Water mobility: personal submarines and navigating floating gyms, the ultimate water-bike but also self-driving Roboats crossing Amsterdam canals… With 70% of the planet covered in water, the future of traveling might come as a gliding technology.
Sailing, wheelchair racing, taekwondo and para-cycling. At Rio 2016 Olympics design technology and data analytics contribute to improve athletes performances.
Legacy-driven Deodoro Olympic Park by Vigliecca & Associados for Rio 2016 Olympics features a canoe slalom stadium built on irregular slopes, a wind-proof BMX circuits and a multitasking Youth Arena that can operate with only natural ventilation and illumination.
Will Rio 2016 Olympics be ready for the grand opening? From the Olympic park masterplan to the many issues that are concerning architects and construction workers as well.
Microclimat designed La Taule, a new sport centre that embodies the vision of a former Olympic athlete and plays an active role in developing a district of Waterloo in Canada.
Landskating: 9 great stories of concrete ramps from Tokyo to Paris… What happens when architects and skaters team up to make cities friendlier?
With the Body Building collection of anti-gym furniture Secondome trains the eye to celebrate “the cult and obsession of the body”.
After a successful testing phase on especially designed ramps in Barcelona, Lexus revealed the long awaited Back to the Future hoverboard floating both on ground and water.
The next evolution in biking has finally arrived. With two third of our planet covered by water and one billion of bicycles, the BayCycle project is launching a next frontier: water biking.