Sensory rooms at three Qatar 2022 stadiums: Providing a safe space to watch football

Doha: The ability to enjoy a match in a fun and exciting environment is one of the many pleasures for football fans. Yet, for people with cognitive disabilities, experiencing games and the stadium atmosphere can pose certain challenges.

With the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East and Arab world set to take place in less than two years, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)’s initiative to ensure the tournament is accessible to all fans, regardless of their disability, has seen the creation of sensory rooms in stadium sky boxes. Ahead of World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April, qatar2022.qa takes a closer look at this important project.   Sensory rooms provide a safe space for fans with neurobehavioural needs to retreat to during a match and enjoy proceedings in a space that is fitted with equipment designed to engage the senses, such as controlled lighting, interactive projections and different toys.