Middle East cities including Doha likely to bid for 2024 Olympics

Changes to the bidding process could help Doha. Credit: PA

The contest for the 2024 Olympics could feature two cities from the Middle East including Qatar capital Doha - with their chances boosted by proposed changes to bidding rules.

International Olympic Committee member Prince Feisal Al Hussein, from Jordan, said he expects one or two bids from the Middle East for 2024.

Olympic watchers expect Doha to bid for a third successive time, after its success in winning the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships, while Dubai has also been mentioned as a possible candidate city.

Changes to IOC bidding rules to be decided in December could make it easier for countries in very hot climates to win the right to host the summer Games, by allowing it to be staged at different times of year to the traditional July/August slot, and with more flexibility in putting on some events in a different city or even different country.

Doha secured the 2019 athletics showpiece on the basis of it being staged in early October rather than the usual month of August.

Prince Feisal, speaking on a conference call as founder and chairman of Generations For Peace, said he would welcome the Olympics coming to the Middle East.

He said: "We have already seen in the 2020 Olympic Games we have an Arab country that looked to be a candidate city to host the Games and for 2024 we expect other Middle East countries that might consider putting themselves forward.

"As an Arab and a Muslim I would love to see the Olympics in our part of the world, as it has been in other parts of the world.

"I would expect that we will find one or two countries will be putting themselves into the bidding process and it is a question of what they have and what it takes to meet the IOC requirements and whether they deserve the opportunity to host the Games."

Despite the controversy, Qatar look set to host the 2020 World Cup. Credit: Reuters

There are 40 proposals that make up Olympic Agenda 2020, the recommendations that will be put to the full IOC membership next month.Asked whether the changes suggested would aid a bid from the Middle

East, Prince Feisal added: "You cannot pre-empt what the IOC at the session will select to do.

"We would love to see a country in the Middle East in a position to host but obviously temperature and other considerations do need to be part of the bidding process.

"We would need to stand on the merits of what we are offering and it is about the legacy and the long-term impact."

Prince Feisal was speaking after the end of the latest Generations For Peace training programme - the organisation is using sport as a tool for peace to support Syrian refugees in Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp.