Pictures emerging from Muscat have captured the excitement and jubilation that broke out as Doha was announced as the host city of the 2030 Asian Games.
As Doha’s selection was made at the 39th OCA General Assembly in Muscat yesterday, the Doha 2030 Bid Committee Chairman HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar Foundation Vice Chairperson and CEO HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani and other representatives of Qatar greeted the news with cheers and laughter as they celebrated together.
“Our entire country has been working so hard for the past twenty years, building a truly world-class sporting infrastructure and, along with it, our people’s exceptional expertise - Yes for 2030 but also for what lies beyond,” Sheikh Joaan said in a tweet later.
"Our goal is simple. We want to see more Asian athletes in the future, on future Olympic podiums. We want that to be part of your national sports history, not just ours. And we want to support you in the efforts to get there," said Qatar Olympic Committee chief Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani ahead of the vote.
While Doha will host the 2030 Asian Games, Riyadh will stage the event in 2034 following a vote at the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) General Assembly in Muscat. The double award comes after OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah arranged a “win-win” situation which saw the city with the most votes awarded the 2030 Games and the runner-up given 2034.
OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah announced the winner at the conclusion of the vote, which was live streamed, adding that Riyadh would host the 2034 edition of the Games. An executive board meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) unanimously approved the proposal to name the runner-up in the two-horse race for the 2030 games as 2034 hosts.
A video showcased Qatar's raft of sporting and transport infrastructure being prepared ahead of the 2022 football World Cup that would be repurposed for the 2030 games.
The games will have a $1.3 billion budget and the Doha bid team has claimed that 90 percent of the infrastructure for the 2030 games was already in place.
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