Qatar’s Olympic Committee has confirmed that its swimming association has officially submitted a bit to host either the 2021 or 2023 long course edition of the FINA World Championships.
The country is no stranger to hosting sizable international swimming events, as Doha, Qatar was the recent host of the 2014 World Short Course Championships. Doha has also been a consistent stop within the FINA World Cup tour, with the city’s Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence complex serving as the physical site of the competition.
Qatar’s hosting of the 2014 World Short Course Championships made it three-straight versions of the meet’s being held in that geographical region, after Dubai hosted the 2010 edition and Istanbul, Turkey held the meet in 2012. Additionally, Qatar hosted the Festival of Aquatics late last year, which included the 3rd FINA World Aquatics Convention, FINA Extraordinary Congress, and the 2nd FINA Gold Swimming Coaches Clinic among other events.
A hosting bid for the long course World Championships, which includes six disciplines, would be a bigger undertaking than hosting the World Short Course Championships.
Doha is also set to host the 2019 World Athletics Championships, as well as the 2022 World Cup, although not without controversy. Allegations surrounding Qatar’s tacts in earning the bid, included the treatment of “migrant workers building the infrastructure underpinning it”, was called into question, however, the case was closed with no charges filed.
Bidding for mega sporting events only furthers the possible agenda of Qatar to prove itself viable as host for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, after not making the cut in its quest for 2016 and 2020. Although no official bid has been launched for Qatar 2024, the IOC’s Agenda 2020 now enables cities to co-host the Olympics, making it more flexible for those located in hotter climates to potentially shift the timing and location of events affected by outside temperatures. (theguardian.com)
In January 2015, Qatar’s Olympimc Committee general secretary, Sheik Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, “We don’t know if we are going to bid for ’24, but bidding for the Olympics it will be … either ’24, ’28 or ’32. But for ’24, we have not made the decision yet. The decision will hopefully be before September.”
How much are they paying to FINA to win the bid? Can we get that money kicked back to the losing federations?
I may be wrong, but I can’t recall the United States ever hosting this meet. If I am correct, why not????
CT – Start with FIFA, bribery, corruption and $$$$$$’s
CT Swim Fan – they’ve never hosted the long course reason. Couldn’t quote a reason why (we’ve asked for that interview in the past, without much avail), but probably comes down to “it’s a losing business decision.”
Qatar generally knows what to do to be designated. 😆
And FINA, FIFA, IOC . . . same democratic pratices. 😆
Is it a nightmare? 🙄
Will they have to build an arena? Will a worker a day die to build this arena? Then no. No, no, no, no… NO.