DOHA: Doha, the sports capital of the region, is eager to stage the 2030 Asian Games, a top Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) official said yesterday.
In 2006, Doha hosted what was considered as the finest edition of the Asian Games, bringing together thousand of athletes who battled for medals in 39 disciplines.
A spectacular opening ceremony on December 1, 2006 was watched by millions of sports fans around Asia and the rest of the world as Doha delivered a flawless edition of Asian Games in 2006.
“We would be delighted to host the Asian Games again,” a QOC official said.
“When it comes to sports, there is no better destination than Doha. The world knows about our love of sports,” the official added.
“Over the course of last decade or so, Doha has delivered world-class sports events on a regular basis,” the official added.
“Besides hosting the Arab Games, the West Asian Games and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, FINA championships, Doha brought athletes together for the 2010 IAAF Indoor World Athletics Championships at Aspire Academy.
“In 2015, Doha stunned the handball fans by successfully hosting the Men’s World Championships that were witnessed by record crowds at Losail Sports Arena, a venue that was built in record time,” the official said.
The 2015 World Men’s Handball Championship was the 24th staging of the World Men’s Handball Championship, organised in Qatar. The tournament was held for the first time in Qatar, from January 15 to February 1, 2015.
The Qatari bid was selected over those of Norway, Poland and France after a vote by the IHF Council on January 27, 2011, in Sweden. Qatar finished runners-up to France in the final.
Later that year, Doha hosted the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships which were held at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena from October 5 to 18, 2015. The two-week event was a qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio.
Boxing stars Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan were the celebrity guests for the event. The event was broadcast to nearly 500 million viewers in 112 countries. A total of 260 boxers from 74 countries participated in ten weight classes, among the prizes were 23 tickets for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2016, the UCI’s World Road Cycling Championships was another event that brought international spotlight on Qatar.
“That event was another example of Doha’s love of sports. It was held from October 9 to 16, bringing the who’s who of cycling to Qatar. Remember that event came after we successfully conducted the Tour of Qatar races for more than a decade,” the QOC official said.
Qatar also staged the region’s first women’s cycling race for a few years, he added.
The 2016 UCI Road World Championships consisted of a road race, a team time trial and a time trial for elite men and women and a road race and a time trial for men under-23, junior men and junior women. It was the 89th Road World Championships and the first time that Qatar and the Middle East hosted the championships.
Last year, Doha staged the 2018 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships from October 25 – November 3, 2018, at the Aspire Academy Dome, drawing huge crowds to all competitions.
“It was the first time that the competition was held in the Middle East and we had record crowds,” the QOC official said yesterday.
Doha currently is hosting the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships which will end on October 6 at the Khalifa International Stadium.
The Qatari capital every season hosts more than 90 international, regional and domestic sports events in just 10 months every season. In Aspire Academy, Qatar houses the world’s biggest indoor sports facility, and the Doha Golf Club, one of European Tour’s most favoured destinations.
The Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex hosts the Qatar Open events from the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour every season. Qatar is also home to the only night MotoGP race held at the $90m Losail International Circuit that draws thousands of visitors from out of the country.
“We have the world’s finest sporting infrastructure. We are also getting ready to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar has also built a new metro service linking all sports venues. If we get a chance to stage the 2030 Asian Games, it will be a bigger show than 2006,” the QOC official said.
