2023-07-14 01:24:25
In the race to host the 2036 Olympic Games, after having seen those of 2032 leave in the hands of Brisbane, Qatar is preparing its candidacy. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (COQ), also came to meet Laurent Michaud, director of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Villages on June 8. A visit to the village also enabled the President of the COQ to see the services and facilities planned for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and to get a clearer idea of the requirements of such an organization.
Sheikh Joaan also participated, in the premises of Paris 2024, in the annual meeting of the board of directors of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF), a foundation created to support and promote sport among refugees. This meeting, led by Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, reviewed the progress of ongoing projects and underlined “the importance of highlighting the global refugee crisis and finding ways to respond to it through sport”, as the Qatari Olympic Committee wrote in a press release.
HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, participated in the annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Olympic Refugee Foundation, which was held today, Friday, in the French capital, Paris.
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The meeting was chaired by His Excellency Dr. Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, President of the Olympic Foundation… pic.twitter.com/XugxJ1fVC6
— Team Qatar ???????? (@qatar_olympic) June 9, 2023
As a sign of Qatar’s commitment to this issue, the next annual meeting of the ORF board of directors, in 2024, will take place in Doha, as requested by the president of the COQ. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani also offered to offer “training programs for the athletes of the Refugee Olympic Team”. The Qatari Olympic Committee has however refuted a possible link between its action with the ORF and its desire to host the Olympic Games. “Sheikh Joaan’s visit was not linked to Olympic aspirations. The COQ is committed to hosting the Olympic Games in the future and remains in constant dialogue with the IOC, ”he said in a press release, without making further comments.
However, Qatar’s desire to host the Olympic Games is not concealed. After failing in 2016, 2028 and 2032, the Middle Eastern country is now aiming for 2036 and hopes to take advantage of the last World Cup to convince members of the International Olympic Committee. Other nations should come to compete with them: Turkey, which has already applied five times, Saudi Arabia, which wishes to combine the 2030 Football World Cup and the 2036 Olympic Games, as well as Mexico, which has officially submitted its candidacy last October. Egypt is also considering it. However, the decision will not fall before 2025, at the earliest.
Still, Qatar presents strong arguments, including an almost infinite portfolio. Its Olympic Committee has also learned the lessons of the first three attempts and can count on its experience of major events, with the 2022 World Cup, to give itself a chance of being the lucky one. The visit to the Paris Olympic Village by Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani is part of this trend. The COQ wants to prove that it is aware of the issues and that it is preparing to live up to expectations.
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