Ahmed Bin Ali stadium automation project completed in Qatar
On December 18, 2020, Ahmed bin Ali Stadium built for the upcoming 2022 FIFA world Cup in Qatar was officially opened in al-Rayyan. The new arena with 40,000 seating capacity will host seven World Cup matches including the 1/8 finals.
The stadium is equipped with the LENTA SEACS system (Spectators Electronic Access Control System), an electronic access control system developed by Infomatika.
On the opening day, the stadium hosted the final of the 48th Emir's Football Cup between the local teams Al-Sadd and al-Arabi. The inauguration of the stadium was attended by the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. The Emir's Cup was in the presence of more than 10,000 spectators, the number of which was reduced due to the coronavirus epidemic.
The President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Gianni Infantino attended the opening ceremony and was impressed by the new arena, noting that such a stadium is ideal for hosting the World Cup matches.
Despite the impossibility of onsite presence at such an important event due to coronavirus restrictions, the company was able to provide remote technical support for the system. Due to the pandemic, the company's specialists could not visit the site after February 2020. All installation and commissioning operations were carried out remotely through local partners with the remote support of Infomatika technicians. In addition, due to the pandemic, it was not possible to hold test matches, so the Emir's Cup match became so to speak a "trial by fire" for all stadium security systems.
The Ahmed bin Ali stadium is the first truly large-scale international project of Infomatika.
The stadium is equipped with the unique LENTA SEACS access control system (the international version of Lenta ACS). 95 Horizon smart turnstiles, 30 automated Navigator SMART gates, and 2 premium Contour Classic turnstiles have been installed on the inner perimeter of the stadium. More than 60 mobile Lenta Data Terminal scanners were used to control access at the external perimeter. The system has been successfully integrated with the FIFA ticketing system.
The SMART turnstiles are unique because they are fully autonomous (they can be powered via UPS for up to two hours and automatically switch between online and offline modes), full-featured (they have built-in controllers, readers and software), variable (they have at least two identification factors), interactive (they have intelligent indicating light and built-in color display) and have up-to-date software (the firmware is constantly improved and updated without replacing the hardware).
The turnstiles are fully adapted not only to FIFA requirements, but also to the specifics of Qatar, which is one of the most difficult countries in the world in terms of weather conditions. The equipment has an IP 65 moisture and dust protection and excellently works in conditions of heat, humidity, and sand dust.
Summing up, we can proudly say that the project was completed successfully, the stadium was put into operation and the entire system is functioning normally. Infomatika proved to be a world-class vendor and confirmed its leadership in the market of ticketing systems for large sports and infrastructure facilities.
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Video footage from Ahmed bin Ali Stadium opening
