Qatar To Bid For 2016 Olympics

The Middle East’s emphasis on sport is growing after Qatar announced that it
will bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

The Gulf state, which has spent £1.3bn creating a sports city and is hosting
the Asian Games this month, has stated that it will put its hat into the ring
for 2016 and will continue to bid for Olympics until it is successful.

Sheikh Saoud bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, secretary general of Qatar’s National
Olympic Committee, said: ‘Qatar is 100% committed to this cause. I’m confident
we will win 2016 but, if not, we will bid until we succeed.’

‘We have 10 years to go for the 2016 Olympic Games. We have enough time to
execute our plans for a great show.’

The host city for the 2016 Games will be named in 2009.