A small country in the Middle East rich in oil qatar The country has officially begun its candidacy to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. These Olympics are second only to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and his 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
The move was first telegraphed in the wake of soccer's FIFA Men's World Cup in 2022, but attracted attention this week with domestic reports saying a suitable bid file was being prepared.
Qatar will be the country with the smallest population to host either the Summer or Winter Olympics. This title currently belongs to Finland, which had a population of approximately 4 million people at the time of the 1952 Olympics. Qatar's current population is approximately 2.6 million, and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Population Division) predicts that the population will rise to approximately 2.9 million by 2036.
At 4,468 square miles (11,570 square kilometers), it is by far the smallest landmass. Belgium hosted the 1920 Summer Olympics on an area almost three times larger than Qatar (11,787 sq mi/30,528 sq km), although at the time the country was much larger thanks to its overseas colonies, particularly the Belgian Congo in Africa. is.
However, although this country is small, it has vast oil resources and is able to participate in large-scale events like the Olympics. The country is ranked 55th in the world, and the IMF estimates a nominal GDP of $244 billion in 2024. This puts the country's economy on par with much larger countries such as New Zealand, Greece, Nigeria and Hungary.
Qatar joins a long list of bidders to host the 2036 Olympic Games for the first time, joining other oil-rich Middle Eastern countries in looking to use sports tourism as one way to diversify their economy. Saudi Arabia is also considering bidding to host the 2034 Asian Games and the 2034 Men's FIFA World Cup (soccer), which will be held in two years' time.
Qatar most recently hosted the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, which were held at unusual times for a pre-Olympic year due to the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country also hosted the 2006 Asian Games, 2022 Men's FIFA World Cup, 2023 AFC Asian Cup, and will also host the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2030 Asian Games.
The Asian Games typically attract more participants and, in some cases, more visitors than the Olympics.
Qatari officials have boasted that 80% of the facilities needed to host the Olympics already exist, a key metric in evaluating the bid as part of the IOC's new sustainability measures. There is. Qatari newspaper Al-Watan first reported that the country had already begun talks with the IOC and had begun drawing up a “comprehensive bid file.” Qatar previously bid to host the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, but was not shortlisted in either year.
IOC President Thomas Bach said “double digits” of countries have expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Games, with India (Ahmedabad), Indonesia (Jakarta) and Germany (Rhine-Ruhr region) being the most likely. It is considered a candidate country. now. Several other countries, including Ukraine, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland and Mexico, have withdrawn their bids or postponed them until 2040.
The 2036 Olympics have political significance as they mark the 100th anniversary of the infamous Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics. Germany presented the bid as an opportunity to demonstrate the country's change in attitude over that period.
Qatar is currently embroiled in a political battle with Israel over Qatar's hosting of Hamas' office in Doha. Qatar currently serves as an intermediary between Hamas and Israeli authorities in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Qatar has also faced criticism over its human rights record, including reports that more than 6,500 migrant workers died in Qatar between 2010, when the World Cup was held, and 2020.
