Doha reveals its Olympic vision

Already hosting the 2022 World Cup, Doha want to host the Olympic Games two years before [GALLO/GETTY]

Doha unveiled their plans should they win the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games on Monday and unlike their counterparts who won the race to host the 2022 World Cup they have opted for an October date and not the searing hot temperatures in July.

Doha – who failed to make the short list for the 2016 Games – would be one of the most accessible, ‘fan friendly’ Games in modern history, with a focus on utilising existing and planned sports venues in five Sports Zones.

They are competing against Istanbul, who are seen as lively dark horses in what is their sixth bid, Tokyo and Madrid, who finished third and second respectively behind Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 edition and Baku.

The candidates will learn whether they have made the short list at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Quebec City from May 23-25.

The ultimate winner will be voted on in Buenos Aires on September 7 next year.

Ideal conditions

The Doha bid team said that they proposed to host the Olympic Games between October 2 and October 18, and the Paralympic Games between November 4 and November 15, to ensure ideal conditions for athletes and spectators.

They trumpeted the fact that they already had 91% of sports venues already built or already planned and budgeted for and that half the tickets would cost spectators less than $25.

Athletes too would face little problem in getting to their respective venues as they would at the most have travel times of just over 20 minutes but those times would be reduced over time with the planned transport improvements.

Noora Al Mannai, the bid’s chief executive, said that they hoped to leave a legacy that would benefit the young of the region for years to come – something that is also at the centre of Istanbul’s bid.

“We want to inspire change, create sporting and commercial opportunities for the Olympic Movement and build bridges of understanding between the region and the international community” Bid chief exec Noora Al Mannai

“Our aim is to create a legacy for sport in the entire region empowering a new generation of girls and boys to become active through sport,” he said.

“We want to inspire change, create sporting and commercial opportunities for the Olympic Movement and build bridges of understanding between the region and the international community.”

The tiny oil-rich state, with a population of less than two million, became the first Middle Eastern country to win the right to host a major sporting event when FIFA voted them the winners of the 2022 race much to the surprise of many.

Many football chiefs, including UEFA president Michel Platini, have voiced concerns about the temperatures in Qatar in June/July but even last November World Cup organising committee official Hassan Al Thawadi said Qatar would only consider a switch from summertime if “the entire football community” contested current plans.

FIFA’s decision has been mired in allegations of corruption since it was announced in December 2010. At the same time, Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup.

Qatar defeated bids from South Korea, Japan, Australia and the United States to secure the 2022 event.