Thousands of state-of-the-art cooling vests to workers building stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

31 August 2018

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has delivered thousands of state-of-the-art cooling vests to workers building stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The cooling vests, which have been designed by UK-based apparel experts TechNiche, reduce a wearer’s body temperature by up to 15°C. Testing and development over the past year have shown the vests improve a wearer’s comfort, concentration and the ability to work efficiently during hot conditions, SC said in its website yesterday.

“The cooling vest has the potential to transform the lives of our workers. We have spent two years exploring how best to utilise various cooling products, but many are simply not suitable for Qatar’s environment. We want our workers to really benefit from the concept of this technology and, after putting the TechNiche products through rigorous testing, they delivered impressive results,” said Mahmoud Qutub, Executive Director of the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Department.

This is not the first time the SC and TechNiche have teamed up. The two organisations are currently collaborating to develop a revolutionary ‘air-cool suit’ – something which will use the same technology as the apparel worn by Formula 1 drivers during races. The suit will be the first product of its kind to be developed specifically for construction workers.

Qutub added: “The air-cool suit contains exciting technology that demonstrates the innovation goals at the heart of the first World Cup in the Arab world. It has the potential to leave a global legacy for workers operating in countries with similar climactic conditions to Qatar.”

James Russell, Managing Director of Techniche UK, said: “This is a significant moment for the technology, the SC and Qatar. This specially developed product is the most advanced of its kind in the world and provides significant health and welfare benefits to wearers.”

Russell added: “As a global business we are proud to support Qatar’s genuine desire to transform the way in which worker welfare is conducted, particularly around heat-related issues.”

As a result of their work developing the cooling vests, Qatar Innovation Community recently invited TechNiche to become the first non-Qatari private sector company to join its community and help drive innovation solutions related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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