IOC Member Prince Feisal Al Hussein Expects Two Middle East Bids For 2024 Games

International Olympic Committee member Prince Feisal Al Hussein, anabolics from Jordan, expects one or two bids from the Middle East for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The 2024 Games could potentially feature two cities from the Middle East including the Qatari capital Doha, with the proposed changes to bidding rules giving their chances a lift.

Doha recently successfully won the rights to host the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships and are expected to bid to for a third successive time to host the Olympics.

Changes to IOC bidding rules, to be decided in December in Agenda 2020, could potentially make it easier for countries in very hot climates to win the right to host the summer Games.

The new rules may allow it to be staged at different times of year compared to the usual July/August slot, and with more flexibility in putting on some events in a different city or even different country.

Prince Feisal said: “We have already seen in the 2020 Olympic Games we have an Arab country that looked to be a candidate city to host the Games and for 2024 we expect other Middle East countries that might consider putting themselves forward.

“As an Arab and a Muslim I would love to see the Olympics in our part of the world, as it has been in other parts of the world.

“I would expect that we will find one or two countries will be putting themselves into the bidding process and it is a question of what they have and what it takes to meet the IOC requirements and whether they deserve the opportunity to host the Games.”