Qatar has confirmed it is in talks to host the 2036 Olympics and Paralympics and bring the games to the Middle East for the first time.
The Qatar Olympic Committee said it wants to “showcase the potential of Arab youth on the global stage” – building on the hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), under the new leadership of Kirsty Coventry, has pledged to involve its members more in the selection of host cities.
Qatar had been overlooked for the 2032 Olympics because Thomas Bach’s IOC fast-tracked Brisbane as host under a preferred bidder process.
The Gulf nation could face a neighbouring challenge from Saudi Arabia, which is staging the men’s World Cup in 2034 after also investing its wealth into sports megaprojects.
India is also a potentially strong challenger with Nita Ambani, an influential IOC member. She is the wife of India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who heads the Reliance Industries conglomerate.
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Ms Coventry told Sky News after her election in March: “New regions and embracing new regions… will be a part of what I would like to see.
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“I think if we can embrace new regions across the entire movement, it opens this up for so many different opportunities, including revenue growth, including being able to reach new audiences.”
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The Qatar Olympic Committee said it is already involved in “ongoing discussions” with the IOC as part of the host city election process and has 95% of the required sports infrastructure already in place.
Qatar Olympic Committee president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani said: “Our participation in the ongoing dialogue around hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036 reflects a national vision that sees sport as a driver of development and a platform for promoting mutual understanding and peace among nations.
“We have made sport a central pillar of our national strategy, and today, we aspire to elevate that role regionally and globally by presenting a new model – one that reflects the diversity of our region and celebrates its authentic human values.”
