Doha (AFP)

After winning the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Qatar is aiming for the 2032 Olympics. The wealthy Gulf emirate on Monday confirmed its interest in running as a candidate despite scorching summer temperatures and the specter of a poor public. numerous.

Besides Qatar, India, the Australian state of Queensland and Shanghai are in the line for the Olympics-2032, and a possible joint candidacy of Seoul and Pyongyang is mentioned.

In accordance with the changes proposed in 2014, interested countries must submit a request to join the "continuous dialogue" on the organization of the Games. Qatar confirmed to AFP that it had done so in a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"Today's announcement marks the start of a meaningful dialogue with the future IOC Organizing Commission to further explore our interest and identify how the Olympics can support Qatar's long-term development goals." Qatari Olympic Committee President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani told AFP.

Qatar had failed to apply for the organization of the 2016 and 2020 Summer Games because it had offered to host them in October without having previously discussed it with the IOC.

The 2020 Games, postponed to 2021 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, have been awarded to Japan which is also experiencing scorching summer temperatures, leading officials to schedule the events for early in the morning, when temperatures are cooler.

Having become a major player in the world of sport in recent years, "Qatar has acquired the reputation of being a world-class destination for major sporting events. It is this reputation and this experience, as well as our desire to use the sport to promote peace and cultural exchanges, which will form the basis of our discussions with the Commission ", added Sheikh Joaan, brother of the ruler of Qatar, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

For the World Cup-2022, the problem of heat should arise less since the dates of the competitions - traditionally in summer - have been moved from November 21 to December 18 to avoid the heatwave.

In this small country bordering the Arabian Desert, summer temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius. The heat and humidity were major issues at last year's World Athletics Championships in Doha, with a very sparse audience leading to much criticism.

Images of marathon runners collapsing and panting went around the world.

- "Huge interest" -

International Athletics Federation (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe, however, said he was more worried about conditions at the Tokyo Olympics.

Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup after a bid that was marred by corruption, according to European countries and media, which Doha has consistently denied.

In addition, the conditions of immigrant workers on the Mondial sites and the state of human rights in general have been the subject of numerous criticisms from NGOs and international unions.

But Qatar has assured that it has taken many measures to improve the lot of these workers and guarantee their rights.

"Within the IOC, we are pleased with the enormous interest aroused by the 2032 Summer Olympics," said the president of this sports body, Thomas Bach, in an interview broadcast on Friday by the Qatari channel BeIN sports, specializing in coverage of sporting events.

"We have made our new approach work well. We have launched a dialogue between interested National Olympic Committees and a special IOC commission. Naturally, we invite Qatar to join this dialogue," he said. added.

If Qatar is successful in its candidacy, it would be the first time in history that an Olympic Games have been held in the Middle East.

© 2020 AFP