DUBAI, UAE, 31 March 2022: Community sports, world-class tournaments, and international teams hosted at The Sevens Stadium are now even more planet-friendly, with the opening of the region’s first and largest solar carport at a sporting facility, owned and managed by the Emirates Group.

Officially launched by Emirates Group Chairman HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the solar carport provides shaded car parking for over 550 vehicles, including four charging lots for electric cars. It will also generate sufficient clean energy to power all of the Stadium’s operations throughout the year, except during the week of the Emirates Dubai 7s when supplementary power will be required for the city’s biggest sporting and lifestyle event.

The new solar carport at the Sevens Stadium is the latest commitment to reducing carbon footprint, in line with Dubai’s vision to transform into a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

The Sevens Stadium’s other environmental initiatives include modern watering systems that utilise non-potable water, a waste reduction which saw 52% of waste generated at the 2021 Emirates Dubai 7s diverted from landfill through recycling, and the use of biodiesel to power events. At the 2021 Emirates Dubai Sevens, nearly 30,000 litres of biodiesel was used to power activity and amenities, including the World Rugby Broadcast, registration and referee tents, changing rooms, the HSBC lounges and ATMs in the village, and the lights and x-ray machines at the main entrance.

The Sevens Stadium hosts an active calendar of community sports which sees over 10,000 people per week during the winter months alone enjoying cricket, football, rugby, netball, and other sports at its various courts, fields and pitches. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, as sport struggled worldwide, The Sevens Stadium safely and successfully hosted international teams and events such as Olympic preparation training and matches, two editions of the Emirates Dubai 7s tournaments in 2021, and most recently, the Rugby World Cup Qualification Tournament. When the UAE recently hosted the IPL and T20 Cricket World Cup, The Sevens Stadium also played host to a number of the leading cricket teams and countries. www.thesevensstadium.com

For more information visit: www.emirates.com

(Your Stories: Emirates)