October 27, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 14, 1428

DOHA, Oct 26: Gas-rich Qatar staged a spectacular show on Thursday to mark its intention to bid for the 2016 Olympics, hoping to defeat six rivals to host the Games.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, crown prince of the Gulf state and head of its Olympic committee, presided over the extravaganza on Doha’s seafront corniche where a multinational band played for Arab and Western singers and other performers on a stage built partly on water.

“Doha will put on the finest show seen in the history of the Olympics Games” if it wins the honour of hosting them, Hassan Ali bin Ali, head of the committee preparing Qatar’s official bid, vowed as fireworks completed a spectacle to compare with the opening of the Asian Games last December.

Doha faces competition from Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo, Prague, Rio de Janeiro and Baku to host the 2016 Olympics. The 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing, and the 2012 Games in London.

Bin Ali admitted that “the competition will be tough between Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Doha,” but he added that Doha was “more suited” to win the bid “because it embodies the dreams of millions of young people in the Middle East and has a world-class infrastructure.”

Qatar’s bid is expected to be formally submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Jan 14. The winner will be announced by the IOC in October 2009 in Copenhagen.

Qatar, which has the world’s third-largest gas reserves, spent 2.8 billion dollars to build gleaming stadiums and other facilities for the Asian Games, and will also host the 2011 Asian Cup.

Over the past decade, it has hosted many other sports events, including tennis and golf tournaments.—AFP