15TH ASIAN GAMES - DOHA 2006 - LET THE GAMES BEGIN

HG Turf and The Motz Group completed the turf installation at the Host Stadium for the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. The Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee chose HG Turf and the Motz Group’s stadium product - Motz Stabilized Turf  - because it’s quick to install and can be played upon immediately after installation. Motz Stabilized Turf (“Motz Turf”) is the proven product for such events where timing is tight for turf installation, i.e. the window between removal of the opening ceremony stage and commencement of athletics. Motz Turf was used for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and also for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. On both these occasions 8,000m² of Motz Turf was installed within 36 hours with crews working around the clock.

HG Turf’s Managing Director, Hamish Sutherland, who was responsible for managing the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games turf installations, was responsible for managing the Asian Games turf harvest and installation. Hamish noted; “the planning and execution of the project was greatly aided by having Tim Kirkman
(ex Australia) and Wayne Holmes (ex New Zealand) working for
Aspire Zone, the local company overseeing the Host Stadium’s
(Khalifa Stadium) readiness to stage the Asian Games”. Both Tim
and Wayne had previously used Motz Turf in their previous jobs in Australia and New Zealand, hence their knowledge of the product and the processes of harvest and installation proved valuable in the sourcing local labour and equipment to support the effort.

The first stage of the Asian Games project was to locate a suitable turf nursery in the desert conditions of the Gulf, to plant and mature the Motz Turf. The Doha Golf Club, which is well renowned on the International Golf Circuit for its premier tournament, The Doha Masters, was chosen as the best option. In May 2006, 8,000m² of Motz Turf was planted at the Golf Club’s nursery, and was then maintained by Ranald McNeill, Doha Golf Club’s Superintendent, and his staff. McNeill is a Queenslander who has worked in the Gulf region for 20 years and has been the Superintendent at the Doha Golf Club from its first day of construction. HG Turf and The Motz Group flew managers to Doha to check the turf’s condition and to ensure it was maturing in time for the Games deadline of December 2006.

Local cultivar 419 couch grass sprigs were sourced from the surrounding golf course fairways and used to plant the Motz Turf. And despite a plentiful supply of sand in the desert(!), sourcing the desired grading of sand proved a challenge. Motz Turf is typically filled with sand to a depth of 35mm at planting and then top-dressed to its final depth of 50mm at maturity – giving it the necessary weight and stability required for immediate use after installation. Desert sand storms, extreme temperatures, and lack of rainfall were the biggest challenges, but with careful nurturing the product was ready for harvest and installation by the Games deadline. Ironically, during the Asian Games, Doha received more rain than it had in the last 40 years! (It is not uncommon for Doha to receive no rain over a 12 months period). The rain was perfect for the Motz Turf but less than ideal for the Asian Games!

The second stage of the project combined the harvest and the installation of the Motz Turf. Following the removal of the Opening Ceremony’s stage from the arena, the underlying sand was graded and the irrigation reinstated in readiness for the Motz Turf installation. The turf harvest and installation was scheduled around the clock with two crews at either end of the process each working a 12-hour shift. HG Turf and The Motz Group flew in a combined team of 21 staff from Australia and the USA, all experienced in the harvest and installation of Motz Turf. Each shift had four experienced staff working the harvest end of the operation and six experienced staff working the installation end of the operation. Hamish Sutherland was the hands-on project manager, overseeing both the harvest and installation crews. Local staff from Aspire Zone and Doha Golf Club supplemented the experience staff and the installation of the turf was completed “without a hitch” one day ahead of schedule.

The legacy for Doha and its people is that they now have a high performance sports field incorporating Motz Stabilized Turf, which offers superior playability in comparison to other playing surfaces in the region. A project of this magnitude has facilitated the transfer of expertise, technology and equipment so the Doha locals can now utilize the product in a number of ways. There has been talk of future indoor football events where the Motz Stabilized Turf could be moved indoors during the extreme Doha summer months for a football tournament between European premier league teams. So maybe one project in the Gulf will lead to another!