|TAP Special| Dubai is going ahead with plans to submit candidature to host the 2024 Olympics and is expanding sports facilities across the emirate as part of the move.
“Hosting the Olympics is a dream. We hope to submit such a bid within the next eight years, God willing,” Ali Omar, the director of Dubai Sports Council (DSC) sports development department, said
The bidding process for the host city for 2024 Olympics has not yet started. Berlin is among the aspirant cities for the Games. The next two Olympic Games will be held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
Dubai has already done well in demonstrating its ability to host big ticket events by claiming the right to host the Expo 2020, which is now a major component of the emirate’s development strategy for the next decade.
Dubai has been inspired by the success of Qatar in securing hosting rights for two prestigious sports events, including the FIFA World Cup in 2022. “Qatar’s move put professional sports in the whole Gulf Arab region in the focus of the world’s attention,” Omar pointed out. In December of 2006, Qatar’s capital Doha hosted the 15th Asian Games as the first Arab city ever.
Dubai managed to attract numerous international sports competition in tennis (Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix), table tennis (GAC GROUP 2013 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals), swimming and diving. The Dubai Sports City is a complete district that provides football and cricket stadiums as well as sports academies on a surface of 50 million square feet.
Dubai has built a number of high-tech stadiums, and more stadiums and facilities would be needed across the emirate for a bid for a major global competition in sports.
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