Qatar bid to host 2036 Summer Olympics receives major boost

The Arab League has backed Qatar's bid to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the Gulf state steps up its campaign to bring the event to the Middle East for the first time.

The League's ministerial council approved its support at its 166th regular session in Cairo on Monday and called on member states to support Qatar's candidacy in international forums.

The council said the move was aimed at strengthening the Arab world's presence in international sport, according to Qatar News Agency.

Qatar formally confirmed in 2025 that it was in discussions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over hosting the 2036 Games.

It is expected to face significant competition. India, Indonesia, Turkey and Chile have all pursued bids, while South Korea's North Jeolla province has been selected as the country's candidate. Egypt has also said it intends to bid, while several other countries have previously expressed interest.

The IOC has said it aims to select the 2036 host in 2029. The contest is expected to formally take shape in March 2027, when the IOC executive board is due to select a shortlist of developed projects for further evaluation. A more intensive "targeted dialogue" phase is expected to begin in late 2028, before a final vote by IOC members in mid-2029.

Qatar is likely to emphasise its extensive sporting infrastructure and experience of staging major international events.

The country hosted the 2022 Fifa World Cup, becoming the first Arab country to stage the tournament, and has also hosted the Asian Cup and numerous world championships in Olympic sports.

Qatar's Olympic Committee has previously said that about 95% of the infrastructure required to stage the Games is already in place.

It is also due to host the Basketball World Cup in 2027 and the Asian Games in 2030, having previously staged the Asian Games in Doha in 2006.

Qatar has unsuccessfully sought to host the Olympics before, submitting bids for the 2016 and 2020 Games, which were awarded to Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo respectively.

No Middle Eastern country has hosted the Olympic Games.

In Asia, Japan has staged the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964 and 2021, after the 2020 Games were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, while China hosted the event in Beijing in 2008.

The next Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028, followed by Brisbane in 2032.