INCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) – Doha and Dubai are capable of hosting the Middle East’s first Olympic Games and the region would simply have to trust itself to deliver a great event in the face of doubt and criticism, the president of the Olympic Council of Asia has told Reuters.
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who also heads the powerful Association of National Olympic Committees, told Reuters a successful bid would be well received in a region where sport is helping bring about change.
However, he recognised it would also bring a firestorm of protest from other parts of the world in the same way FIFA’s decision to award Qatar hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup provoked an outpouring of controversy and criticism.
“I think even if we host a birthday party there would be such a reaction,” Sheikh Ahmad told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. “That is the tradition of the media.
“For that we have to respect their thoughts but we have to trust ourselves that we can deliver a great event.”
Qatari capital Doha bid for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics but never made the shortlist, while Dubai was reportedly on the verge of a bid for 2016, eventually awarded to Rio de Janeiro, but it failed to materialise.
While major events were once the domain of Europe and North America, Asia is now viewed as a ‘safe pair of hands’ when it comes to hosting the world’s biggest sporting competitions.
The IOC delivered an unequivocal endorsement of Asia’s dynamic economies and its place in the future of the sporting world by awarding the 2018 winter Games to South Korea’s Pyeongchang and the 2020 summer Olympics to Tokyo.
The continent will also host the rugby World Cup (Japan) and World Swimming Championships (South Korea) in 2019, the end-of-season Women’s Tennis Association championships (Singapore), as well as a handful of Formula One races each year.