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 Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who also heads the powerful
Association of National Olympic Committees, told Reuters a
successful bid would be well received in a region where sport is
helping bring about change.
However, he recognised it would also bring a firestorm of protest
from other parts of the world in the same way FIFA's decision to
award Qatar hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup provoked an
outpouring of controversy and criticism.
"I think even if we host a birthday party there would be such a
reaction," Sheikh Ahmad told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.
"That is the tradition of the media.
"For that we have to respect their thoughts but we have to trust
ourselves that we can deliver a great event."
Qatari capital Doha bid for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics but never
made the shortlist, while Dubai was reportedly on the verge of a bid
for 2016, eventually awarded to Rio de Janeiro, but it failed to
materialize.
While major events were once the domain of Europe and North America,
Asia is now viewed as a 'safe pair of hands' when it comes to
hosting the world's biggest sporting competitions.
The IOC delivered an unequivocal endorsement of Asia's dynamic
economies and its place in the future of the sporting world by
awarding the 2018 winter Games to South Korea's Pyeongchang and the
2020 summer Olympics to Tokyo.
The continent will also host the rugby World Cup (Japan) and World
Swimming Championships (South Korea) in 2019, the end-of-season
Women's Tennis Association championships (Singapore), as well as a
handful of Formula One races each year.
"We are capable in many cities in the Middle East to host an
Olympics - Dubai is ready, Doha is ready," said Sheikh Ahmad.
"I know that not every city can host the Olympics. Only the main
ones, and even they are always faced with difficulties. We can see
this with Rio, even until now there are problems."
HOSTING
PROBLEMS
The OCA recently found itself embroiled in its own hosting
controversy when Vietnam pulled out of staging the Asian Games in
2019.
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Hanoi had been awarded the Games, second only in size to the summer
Olympics, in November 2012 but Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung pulled
the plug earlier this year, saying Vietnam was suffering from the
effects of global recession and the state was unable to foot the
bill for facilities and venues.
Economists estimated the cost of Vietnam hosting the Games varied
from $150 million to as high as $500 million and while Vietnam's
$155 billion economy is in recovery, it faces deep-rooted problems
including weak infrastructure, high levels of bad debt and a state
sector mired in graft and inefficiency.
With some 10,000 athletes competing in 36 sports watched by 12,000
members of the media, staging the Asian Games is a massive
undertaking and has the potential to leave a serious dent in a
host's finances.
By some estimates, China's Guangzhou was left with debts of $32
billion after its lavish Games in 2010.
Sheikh Ahmad, who is in South Korea for the Asian Games in Incheon,
west of Seoul, said the OCA was trying to keep costs under control
without compromising on the quality of the event.
"We are trying to follow the strategy of the Olympic movement - how
can we keep the Asian Games going without increasing the budget, how
do we become more flexible?
"We don't want to lose what we have built, we want to make our Games
grow as rapidly as they did over the last 20 years.
"For that, we are keeping our fingers crossed."
The 17th Asian Games officially open on Friday and run until Oct. 4.
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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