The Gulf's growing prominence in the sports world will be on display this week as it hosts more than 1,500 executives and officials from the Olympic movement and international federations. The SportsAccord International Convention in Dubai will consider issues ranging from the funding of sports federations to the shifting geography of venues, which has resulted in the wealthy Gulf nations luring some of the world's most prominent golf, tennis and Formula One races. Governments in the region now are setting their sights even higher, with Qatar bidding for the 2022 football World Cup and Dubai exploring a bid for the 2020 Olympics. Doha's bid for the 2016 Olympics was unsuccessful. Dubai is the second Gulf state trying for the Olympics. Dubai has spent billions of dollars building sports venues to cater for the international events. Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Sunday said Dubai's sports infrastructure had made it a “top destination on the global sports calendar” and said the city has “a lot to offer” to the Olympic movement. “There is a strong ‘can do' culture here,” Mohammed said. Mohammed said Dubai continues to evaluate the “cost and benefits” of a bid,” insisting that the process alone will help authorities “identify the strengths and weaknesses of our transportation systems, our tourism facilities, our sports venues and other vital infrastructure.” Dubai has run far ahead of its Gulf competitors on the sports front by linking investment with a decade-long effort to attract tourists and entertain the Asian and Western expatriates that make up most of the emirate's 1.5 million inhabitants. The UAE has hosted ATP and WTA tour tennis events, the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament and the Dubai World Cup, which is the world's richest horse race. The ruling Al-Maktoum family has scaled back some of its development plans amid the global financial crisis, but sports events have not appeared to suffer as Dubai struggles to pay off its massive debt. Last month a $2 billion horse racing complex was inaugurated. Managers of Dubai Sports City said progress has been undeterred on the cluster of mega-venues that will stage sports events and set up training facilities and specialized academies for golf, tennis, soccer, rugby, cricket and swimming. Sheikh Mohammed has relied on such large-scale global ambitions to help drive his territory from little more than a patch of sand 15 years ago to the Middle East's business, sports and tourism hub. The harsh economic reality has caused Mohammed to include some caution in his comments on Dubai's possible Olympic bid. “We will have to take an honest look at our weaknesses as well as our strengths,” Mohammed said Sunday. “I can assure you of this, though: if we decide to make a bid for the Olympics, we will be in it to win.” Along with sports executives, the event will host top Olympic officials and those from cities hosting upcoming games including London, Sochi, Russia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. FIFA president Sepp Blatter is also expected to speak along with former UN Secretary
