Doha Asian Games 2030 likely to be postponed; Here's why
Qatar’s organisers are preparing for two possible dates.
Doha’s Asian Games 2030 organisers say they are prepared to host the event if it is pushed back to 2031, but the final decision does not rest with them.
Ahmad Abdulla Al-Buenain, chief executive of the Doha 2030 organising committee, told AFP in Nagoya on Thursday: “We are working closely with the OCA. For us, it’s 2030.”
But he added that “if it needs to be changed either one year earlier or postponed a year for some specific reason, we need to make sure as the LOC (local organising committee) that we are ready, that the venues are ready, all the operation plans are going on.”
The question stems from reports in April that the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) executive board had approved changes to the Games calendar this February.
If implemented, the Asian Games would be held one year before each Olympic Games, allowing them to serve as both a qualification pathway and a key preparation event for the Olympics.
For Doha, that would mean 2031, only months before the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. IOC President Kirsty Coventry is reported to have backed the move. For now, Doha’s slot is November 4-19, 2030.
Qatar cannot decide this alone
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Doha won the rights on December 16, 2020, at the 39th OCA General Assembly in Muscat, but Al-Buenain said any change is “between the OCA and the IOC”. The host has to be engaged, he said, but “it’s not a solo decision.” The date and duration are still open.
What can Doha offer?
Organisers want compact Games in existing venues, with no sport or athlete left out. Qatar already has the venues in place after staging the 2006 Asian Games and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and it has hosted a growing number of major events over the past 20 years.
“Qatar is ready. Whenever it comes to Qatar, Qatar is ready,” Al-Buenain said. If the Games go ahead there, Doha will be the fourth city to host them twice, and Riyadh is currently due to follow in 2034.
The Nagoya test
The current Games in Japan faced accusations of organisational failures, especially over athlete accommodation and transport.
More than 17,000 athletes and officials attended the Games, with some teams reporting a shortage of beds. On participant numbers for Doha, Al-Buenain said it was “too early to discuss numbers”, but added: “There is no limit up to this point.”
Could the 2030 Asian Games in Doha move to 2031?
Possibly, but nothing is final. Doha organisers say they will be ready, and Ahmad Abdulla Al-Buenain says any change is “between the OCA and the IOC”.
Why hold the Asian Games a year before the Olympics?
The idea is for the Games to double as qualifying and preparation for the Olympics. For Doha, that would mean 2031, months before the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
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