Saudi Arabia arrests 19,696 illegals in a week    Turki Al-Sheikh crowned "Most Influential Personality in the Last Decade" at MENA Effie Awards 2024    Move to ban on establishing zoos in residential neighborhoods    SFDA move to impose travel ban on workers of food outlets in the event of food poisoning    GACA: 1029 complaints recorded against airlines, with least complaints in Riyadh and Buraidah airports during October    CMA plans to allow former expatriates in Saudi and other Gulf states to invest in TASI    11 killed, 23 injured in Israeli airstrike on Beirut    Trump picks billionaire Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary    WHO: Mpox remains an international public health emergency    2 Pakistanis arrested for promoting methamphetamine    Moody's upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to Aa3 with stable outlook    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Mahrez leads Al Ahli to victory over Al Fayha in Saudi Pro League    Al Qadsiah hands Al Nassr their first defeat in the Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Saudi Arabia and Japan to collaborate on training Saudi students in Manga comics Saudi Minister of Culture discusses cultural collaboration during Tokyo visit    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Qatar bets on future spending $100 billion
By Regan Doherty
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 09 - 2011

Biking through the south of France one summer's day a decade ago, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani was stopped by a pack of cyclists from the Tour de France.
So impressed was he with the peloton racing past that he phoned famed Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx and asked him to organize a similar bike race in the Gulf Arab state.
Thus began a 10-year love affair with sport which would eventually see the tiny country do what most thought impossible: win an audacious bid to host the 2022 soccer World Cup.
But Qatar's bold ambition in the realm of sport does not end there. Buoyed by its successful World Cup bid, the country has begun to indulge a seemingly insatiable desire to host global sporting events.
Last month Qatar officially launched a bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. It has submitted a bid for the 2017 World Athletic Championships, and has expressed interest in hosting the Grand Départ for the 2016 Tour de France.
This is all bolstered by Qatar's sponsorship of a myriad of sports events and teams.
State-owned Qatar Airways was the official airline for this year's Tour de France. A Qatari investment vehicle earlier this year bought a 70 percent stake in French soccer club Paris St. Germain for an undisclosed amount.
Doha-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera recently bought a share of the domestic television rights of French league games from 2012 to 2016. The network paid 90 million euros ($129 million) a year for rights to broadcast two live games a week and for other associated rights over four seasons between 2012 and 2016.
The timing couldn't have been better.
“By giving Qataris — especially the youth — more access to sport and bringing the world's best sporting stars to Qatar, Qatar's elite are quite simply and understandably boosting their own popularity domestically,” said David Roberts, deputy director of the Royal United Services Institute based in Doha.
As the country with the world's highest per capita income, estimated at $90,149, it can afford to spend lavishly on bids for sporting events.
Qatar is likely to spend an estimated $100 billion to host the 2022 tournament. It spent $2.8 billion on the Asian Games, which it hosted in 2006.
Qatar's emir has closely associated himself with sport throughout his reign, promoting access to sporting facilities in the late 1980s and early 1990s and bringing the FIFA Youth (under 20) World Cup to the country after he came to power in 1995. It turned out to be a shrewd strategy.
“Qatar's foray into sport and other youth-oriented initiatives has helped boost the government's popularity and helped it connect with a new generation of Qataris,” said Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Center.
“The World Cup bid, as well as the flurry of sporting, education, and cultural activities, have all shown the Qatari government to be both active and innovative.”
Summer temperatures can reach as high as 50 celsius — although temperatures are much milder in winter — making it an unlikely cycling hub. But the emir's daughter Sheikha Mayassa organized a women's bike race in 2009. It is now an annual event.
Though its greatest success has undoubtedly been the 2022 World Cup coup, Qatar has seen some defeats along the way. A bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, eventually won by Rio de Janeiro, floundered on its insistence on holding the Games in October. Qatar is now bidding for the 2020 Games and Olympic officials have allowed a shift in dates to avoid the extreme desert heat.
Bolstering Qatar's image as a modern sporting venue would help the country plan for a future without gas.
“Sports tourism is one of their primary focus areas in terms of overall diversification. It's a clear strategic focus for them,” said Raghavan Seetharaman, chief executive officer of Doha Bank.
__


Clic here to read the story from its source.