OFFICIAL: Qatar joins India in the fray, confirms discussions with IOC to host 2036 Olympics and Paralympics
The country, which hosted soccer's World Cup in 2022 and the Asian Cup in 2024, is the latest to join the race to stage the 2036 Games after confirmed bids from Indonesia, Turkey, India and Chile. Other Asian countries considering a bid include Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Egypt, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Denmark and Canada have also shown interest.
'We currently have 95% of the required sports infrastructure in place to host the Games, and we have a comprehensive national plan to ensure 100% readiness of all facilities,' Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, the president of QOC, told the state-run Qatar News Agency. 'This plan is rooted in a long-term vision aimed at building a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable legacy.'
A few weeks earlier, an Indian delegation met with IOC in Lausanne, where Ahmedabad was put forward as the official host city and said that the meeting had been productive. However, it later emerged the IOC's message to the Indian contingent was candid — getting the house in order before preparing the Olympic masterplan. Three sources had told The Indian Express that the IOC, during the meeting, flagged concerns over the governance issues plaguing the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the doping menace that is rampant across sports and the poor performance at the Olympics, with the country finishing 71st, with just six medals at last year's Paris Games.
'It has been communicated very candidly that while India can continue preparing for its bid to host future Olympics, the country has to address these issues first,' an official said. 'This was, in a nutshell, the big takeaway from this meeting.'
The ongoing process to select future hosts was deemed to be on pause as IOC members expressed reservations about the current rules, in which they have virtually no say. Newly-elected IOC chief Kirsty Coventry had said that a working group will be formed to 'review how the future hosts are selected and when'.
'There was overwhelming support from the IOC members for a pause to be done and a review of the future host election process and we will be setting up a working group to look into this,' Coventry had said after chairing her maiden Executive Board meeting in Lausanne. 'Firstly, members want to be more engaged in the process and secondly, there was a very big discussion on when the next host will be awarded.'
Qatar's capital Doha is set to host the Asian Games in 2030, having staged the event in 2006. A successful bid would make Qatar the first country in the Middle East to host the Olympics amid the region's growing influence over major sporting events. Saudi Arabia is set to hold the soccer World Cup in 2034.
(With Reuters inputs)
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