Make no mistake – anyone who knows Qatar knows the country possesses the money, the capacity and the will to stage the Olympics. So why am I not anticipating taking my seat at the 2016 Opening Ceremony in Doha just yet?
First Bid
Despite the fact no Arab city has ever hosted the Olympics, Doha’s bid faces several tough obstacles, not least of which is the fact that no first-bidding Olympic city has been successful in the last 50 years.
Sporting/Olympic tradition
Qatar has a small population. Of the 1 million who reside here, only 200,000 are Qatari nationals, a tiny population which makes global sporting success difficult. Qatar has no great Olympic tradition – two medals in its entire history, won by a Bulgarian-born weightlifter and a Kenyan-born runner, each persuaded to change their name in return for a financial incentive.
Qatar does possess an influential, sports-fanatic Heir Apparent, who is a current International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member, which will go a long way to influence other members about the value of Doha’s bid.
Local Public Support
Another major hurdle for Qatar is public support for the Olympics, and for sport in general. Official public opinion may say the country wants the Olympics and I’m sure everyone would be delighted of they win. Success would show great respect for Qatar and its people – something all Arab nations value extremely highly.
However, when it comes to sporting participation and active support, the country is lacking. Football, horse and camel racing are popular – nearly every other sport is not. The 2006 Asian Games suffered from a lack of active local support. Upon receiving the award a 2 week public holiday during the Games, the first stop for most Qatari national’s was the travel operator, not the ticket office, such was their haste to take advantage of an extra overseas vacation rather than support their country’s most high profile global event.
Global Public Opinion
I’d be sticking my head in the sand if I didn’t acknowledge that global public opinion of the Arabian Gulf, especially in North America and Europe, won’t play a significant part in deciding the destiny of Doha’s Olympic bid. Like Europe, the Middle East is a big region with many countries and different cultures. In the same way as European nations such as Ireland and Greece have a totally different feel to them, so it is with Egypt and Qatar, or Lebanon and Oman. Standing on the Doha Corniche at sunset, war-torn Iraq might as well be on a different planet. But will IOC members and the media in Tokyo and Toronto see Qatar in this way?
Next time: “and the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics is…..Doha” Part 3 – The Rivals
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