DUBAI2020, Doha's new contender

Interesting article by By
Shashank Shekhar
Two Arab contenders have now emerged to contest for the 2020 Olympics – Dubai and Doha. Doha seriously vied for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games and was not considered when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) held its first round of meetings in June last year.

Immediately afterwards, Qatar announced it will bid for the 2020 Olympics. The other cities that have already lined up to bid up for the 2020 Olympics include Durban, Cape Town, Busan, New Delhi, Toronto and Kuala Lumpur. Dubai has now set up a committee to study the city's potential to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. Even though the emirate may be relatively young compared to the growing list of ambitious cities lining up for the 2020 bid, there are certain aspects that give it an edge over the other contenders.
The most important of all, people with knowledge of the matter say, is its potential for constructing townships, buildings and infrastructure at a pace that is arguably one of the fastest in the world. "Dubai's record in construction will come to its aid. The Metro and the transport system will also add to the emirate's strength while bidding," Dr Eckart Woertz, Programme Manager (Economics) at Gulf Research Center, told Emirates Business. But how does the IOC decide which city will host the Olympic Games? This is a decision that involves dozens of members of an elite club who consider everything from the candidate city's financial situation to its traditions of "Olympism and culture".According to reports, the IOC evaluates 18 themes, which vary from the logistical, such as transportation and security, to the subjective plans for an Olympic Village, for example. Dubai, by all accounts scores well on these issues.
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via www.business24-7.ae