Place and Space of Global Sport in the Gulf Region: Promotion, Development and Identity Narratives

Abstract

The reorganisation (or regeneration) of the urban space around the sport theme in cities such as Doha, Dubai and Manama, aims to offer citizens and residents a “spectacular” sporting experience. Furthermore, it offers business people a pleasurable place to do business, and tourists a place of paradox and contrast between an authentic Arabic atmosphere and a sophisticated lifestyle, featuring an assortment of hyper-real experiences (such as skiing in Dubai). This is epitomised today by the glossy architecture of Souq Wakif, built “in time for Doha’s hosting of the 2006 Asian Games, and with Qatar’s aim of presenting and preserving its heritage in the midst of prevailing globalization and modernization” (Alaraouf in Open House Int 37(02):77, 2012). Since then new residential areas and spaces for leisure and entertainment have emerged in the build up towards Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The aim of the study is thus to examine how narratives on urbanisation in the GCC, and in Qatar in particular, around sport and leisure has been constructed by political and business elites, to reconcile between tradition and (post) modernity and to communicate to both internal and external audiences.