Qatar, the oil-rich state located in the Middle-East, are not content with just hosting soccer’s FIFA World Cup in 2022. The Qataris have now set their sights on hosting the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2016.

The tiny Gulf state has experience of hosting professional cycling with the UCI Asia’s Tour of Qatar, which had it’s 10th edition take place earlier this year, also being organised by Tour de France operators Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO).

Qatar Airways is also the official airline of the Tour de France and it was aboard one of the airline’s jets, rather than the usual TGV, that the riders made their way to the final stage in Paris over the weekend.

The Grand Depart has history of departing from neighbouring European countries, but never has the Tour began outside the continent.

It is doubted whether teams, riders and sponsors would accept the Grand Depart being removed from a European setting and deposited in the searing heat and high humidity of a desert kingdom in the height of summer, but the Qataris have proved in the past that they have the wealth to change the mindset of many sporting organisations.

Cycling fans are likely to have little enthusiasm for the idea of one of cycling’s great spectacles being held in a different time zone and in a location that would require considerable expenditure to reach.

A spokesperson close to the Qatar’s rulers said: “His highness (the Emir) has had this idea in mind for quite a while. They have started the discussions and the process.”

As for the inevitable questions about how athletes would be expected to perform in extremes of heat and humidity the source said: “I think there are options to manage it. We can have a small prologue, not too long, with water sprayed at certain points. There is no technical problem with doing it here.”

The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) has been awarded the contract to record the 205 national anthems required for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic medal ceremonies after a competitive bidding process.

The LPO will record the anthems at Abbey Road Studios in May this year using 36 musicians and 50 recording hours over six days to produce the anthems. The final sessions will take place in September this year.

Sebastian Coe, doctor chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, symptoms stated: “The playing of anthems at victory ceremonies is one of the most emotive parts of any Games and we’re delighted to be working with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to deliver this key element of the ceremonies.”

NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and WWE today announced a multi-year strategic partnership for WWE’s flagship programming.

Mnday Night Raw will receive a three-hour block on USA Network and the top-rated Friday Night Smackdown on Syfy. The two programs are the longest-running weekly episodic entertainment programs on cable TV with a combined reach of 10.8M viewers each week. The announcement was made today by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President Talent, Live Events & Creative, from the stage at the NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment upfront presentation at the Javitz Center in New York. 

“USA Network President Chris McCumber, Syfy President Dave Howe and I are incredibly pleased to renew this strategic partnership with WWE,” said NBCUniversal Cable Chairman Bonnie Hammer. “In today’s TV landscape, live event programming is an extraordinarily valuable asset, and WWE remains the only entertainment franchise that consistently delivers this on a 52-week a year basis. We look forward to bringing WWE’s action-packed and unique brand of drama to the wide audiences across our cable networks for many years to come.”

“We are proud to continue our long-standing partnership with NBCUniversal given their premiere position in the marketplace and vast promotional platforms,” said WWE Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon. “We are excited about our future as we further the reach and popularity of our live, family-friendly entertainment programming 52 weeks a year.”

Doha are still undecided about whether they will bid for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics despite Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the head of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), claiming here that they do plan to put themselves forward.

Sheikh Ahmad, a Kuwaiti, had revealed that he had been told they were going to bid but that nothing had been officially announced yet.

But a spokesman for the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) insisted that the Sheikh’s claim on the eve of the OCA General Assembly was premature, even though Doha had promised as long ago as August 2008 that they would bid.

He said: “No decision has been made yet. We are still discussing the situation with the QOC and the Government.”

Doha bid for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics but were cut from the shortlist because their proposed dates were outside the window that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had published.

They claimed that IOC President Jacques Rogge had led them to believe that they could host the Games outside the window, just as Sydney had done in 2000.

The IOC have changed the criteria for this contest and any cities who propose to hold the Games outside the normal Olympic window of between July 15 and August 31 have until July 29 to make their intentions known.

The dates issue is a particularly sensitive one following FIFA’s controversial decision last year to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, which have caused there to be calls to move the tournament from its traditional June/July slot to January to avoid the scorching summer heat in the Middle East.

Qatar’s desire to stage major events remains strong.

They are already hosting the 2015 World Handball Championships and are among the contenders for the 2017 World Athletics Championships, a bid that is looking increasingly strong in view of the problems London is having securing the future of the Olympic Stadium.

Building work on a £50m (US$81.3m) cable car across the River Thames in London, linking two Olympic venues, will begin this summer, running the O2 arena in North Greenwich to the Excel exhibition centre at the Royal Victoria Docks.

Transport for London (TfL) warned that completing the connection in time for next year’s Olympics would be “an extremely challenging timeline for a complex project”, but claimed that it was “striving” to do exactly that.

It will be part of the Oyster card network but fares have yet to be set.

Having said last year that it would not be funding the cable car, TfL has decided to pay for the project upfront in order to help its “quick delivery”, a spokesman said.

The spokesman added that the company could not guarantee that some of the money would have to come from taxpayers, though he claimed it would be trying to recoup its costs.

The consortium which will build and run the cable car is to be led by Mace, the firm which worked on the London Eye and is currently constructing the Shard Tower at London Bridge, south-east London.

London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, said: “Gliding serenely through the air across the Thames will provide a truly sublime, bird’s eye view of our wonderful city.

“This innovative airborne travel link will be a vital component in the ongoing renaissance of a vibrant easterly quarter of the capital, providing a much-needed river crossing.”

Spain’s capital city Madrid and Istanbul in Turkey are to join the race to host the 2020 Olympic Games after the two cities confirmed that they intend to submit official bids.

Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, joined by spokesmen for the two main political parties in Spain, said he would present a bid proposal to city legislators for a vote on July 20. Madrid will be bidding for the third consecutive time after coming close to securing the hosting rights for the 2012 and 2016 Games.

The remaining doubts over Madrid’s bid surround serious concerns about Spain’s economy, and the country’s Sports Minister has admitted “if this (financial downturn) did not exist, our support would have been automatic”, but Ruiz-Gallardon insisted that the Games could provide a timely boost.

Gallardon said: “Madrid has finished an extremely high percentage of the infrastructure needed for the organisation of the Olympics and Paralympics and can count on the experience of the previous two bids and the recognition of the Olympic family. The completed work means the cost of the bid will be significantly less, following criterion of austerity and efficiency with the highest possible return for the image of Madrid and Spain.”

Turkey’s Sports Minister, Suat Kilic, told Turkish television  that Turkey was set to make its bid for the 2020 Games official, saying: “We are one of the rare countries that can shoulder the financial burden of the Olympics.”

Kilic said that a final decision would be made by July 29 after a meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The International Olympic Committee’s deadline for applicant city nominations is September 1.

Istanbul has history of failing to win the rights to host the Olympic Games, with four consecutive failed bids for the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Istanbul will face competition from Southern Europe in the form of Italy, with Rome the only city so far to confirm it has entered the bidding, whilst Berlin could also provide competition after the city’s Mayor Klaus Wowereit said: “Berlin is ready for the Olympic Games and Berlin has all the requirements.”

However, the German National Olympic Committee, which saw Munich lose out to PyeongChang in last week’s vote for the 2018 Winter Olympics, has suggested there may not be enough time to table a bid for 2020.

The Qatari capital of Doha may decide to bid, though, according to Olympic Council of Asia president Sheik Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah. “I hear Doha have an interest, but we don’t have anything officially announced yet.”

The Japanese capital of Tokyo is also expected to announce a formal bid in the coming days after missing out on the 2016 Games, but Jacques Rogge last week said that their chances would be reduced by neighbours’ Pyeongchang’s hosting of the preceding Winter Games.