F YOU EVER HAPPEN UPON
Aspire Zone in Qatar’s capital of
Doha, you might instinctively rub
your eyes a few times. For what
your brain would naturally assume is a
mirage in the middle of a desert is actually
a man-made miracle.
For an athlete in Qatar, Aspire Zone is
heaven on earth. Established in 2003, it
was completed in time to host the 2006
Asian Games. Also known as Doha Sports
City, the 2.5-square-kilometer complex
features the 50,000-seat Khalifa
International Stadium; Hamad Aquatic
Center, with Olympic-size swimming pool;
and the Aspire Dome, the world’s largest
indoor sports venue, which also houses
separate facilities for 13 sports, including
gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic and trampoline).
Other amenities include the Aspire
Tower (hotel, museum, restaurants, etc.),
the Villaggio Shopping Center, Aspetar
Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital,
a live-in Sports Academy for young athletes, exercise trails and more.
Perhaps the only danger of coming to
such a place is that you may never want to
leave.
