11.10.2008
Statement by Mr Hassan Ali Bin Ali
Today, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee accepted Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro as Candidate Cities in the race for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Unfortunately, Doha was not accepted as a Candidate City on this occasion.
Today, I have sent my warm and sincere personal congratulations to the Bid Chairmen of Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro on their selection as Candidate Cities. I am confident that they would all stage memorable Games and, on behalf of Doha, I wish them the very best in the coming months.
Doha has been extremely honoured to be a part of this race and to have the opportunity to present its Bid to the Olympic Family. We have gained considerable experience and learnt to work closely with the IOC during the Applicant City phase.
During this time, the Doha 2016 Bid – the first-ever from the Arabic-speaking world – reached out to and inspired millions of young people across the region with the Olympic values. This is, for us, one of the key accomplishments of our Bid and a credit to the Olympic Movement.
I have been particularly touched by the enormous support that Doha’s Bid has received, not just from everyone living in Qatar, but also all our neighbours in the Middle East, Arab World and African region.
While we are of course disappointed, we remain extremely proud to have been given the opportunity over the past 12 months to demonstrate that Doha is a truly modern and developing city, able to compete with some of the world’s largest capitals and able to host international sporting events of the highest standard.