Qatar to bid for 2020 Olympics

PanARMENIAN.Net - A year after Qatar became the first Arab country to win the right to host the World Cup, the tiny but wealthy Persian Gulf nation is immersed in efforts to make more history by bringing the Olympics to the Middle East in 2020.

Flush with billions of dollars from oil and gas sales, Qatar hopes to build on its surprise victory in winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup. Stuck between powerful Mideast rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, Qatar also aims to capitalize on its role as a peacemaker after a year of enormous political upheaval in the region.

It was a tough year for Qatar, a small Muslim nation that has gained influence in international diplomacy and sports over the past decade. The country has never qualified for the World Cup and was criticized for spending lavishly to defeat countries such as the United States and Australia for the 2022 bid. Skeptics were particularly harsh after the downfall of Qatar's top soccer official and former Asian federation president, Mohammed bin Hammam.

In interviews with The Associated Press, Qatari sports officials said the country has moved on from the World Cup controversy and is fully focused on the Olympics.

"The World Cup file is closed," said Sheik Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the secretary general of Qatar's Olympic Committee. "We are thinking ahead and planning for the future, bidding for Olympic Games and maybe other events."

Over the past decade, Qatar has been targeting sports as a vehicle to showcase its global aspirations. Doha successfully hosted major sporting events such as the Asian Games in 2006 and annual tennis tournaments featuring many of the world's top-ranked players. This year alone, the capital hosted Asia's continental soccer tournament in January and the opening Diamond League track meet in May, The Independent reported.