Qatar wants to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, according to Saoud ben Abdelrahmane Al-Thani, Secretary-General of the Qatari Olympic Committee (QOC). He said they would lodge their official request at the start of 2007, just after they host the Asian Games from December 1-15.
"The world is beginning to grow weary of seeing the major sporting tournaments being organized by the big countries. The rest of the world thought that Qatar, with only 200,000 nationals, could not organize the Asian Games, but we have proved them wrong. We believe that the success of such a project is not based on the population of a country but on its ability," Al-Thani said.
Qatar has invested $2.8 billion in infrastructure for the Asian Games including the largest indoor sports dome in the world which will host gymnastics, badminton, weightlifting, wrestling, boxing, wushu and kadaddi all under one roof. It covers more than 950,000 square feet and includes 20 classrooms, eight full-size soccer fields, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a 200-metre athletic track, a diving pool, gymnastic hall, multi-sports hall, table tennis arena, and squash courts.
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