New York (EFE).- FIFA has informed fans with World Cup tickets that they will not be allowed to carry reusable water bottles inside the stadiums, as reported by The Athletic, in what represents a policy change by the organization three weeks after publishing a code of conduct that did allow them.
You might be interested in: Eight months in prison for CD Tenerife player Maikel Mesa after confessing to assaulting a judge
“For the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles are not permitted to be brought into the stadium,” FIFA stated in its code of conduct for fans accessing stadiums, updated this week.
In the code of conduct document that FIFA published just three weeks ago, the possibility of entering with water bottles was indeed contemplated.
“Entry to the stadium is permitted with reusable, transparent, and empty plastic bottles, with a capacity of up to one liter,” stated the old document.
More Read
Other types of bottles or closed containers made of hard or breakable material were already prohibited, as is usual at sporting events, since these are measures “to prevent the risk of causing injury to players or spectators if thrown”.
Buying water inside the World Cup stadiums
However, the new ban on reusable water bottles in stadiums means that fans will be forced to buy bottled water at venue concessions or drink water at specific hydration points enabled by FIFA.
This measure comes during a World Cup that will be held in the North American summer, between June 13 and July 19, with forecasts of heat, humidity, and extreme heat in many of the 104 matches of the tournament.
More Read
While fans will not be able to bring reusable water bottles into the stadiums, all tournament matches without exception will feature a three-minute hydration break for both teams, one in each half of play.
FIFA said they “will have heat mitigation measures for fans traveling to the stadium, which may include resources such as misting stations, fans, hydration points, cooling tents, and more throughout the stadium perimeter.”
