Thursday, September 2, 2010

Dubai last night took its marks for a potential Olympic Games bid. However it looks set to be a marathon not a sprint if the emirate is to ever see the famous flame burning bright in the desert.

Searing heat and the astronomical costs of staging the Games are major hurdles for a bid. But His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, has taken the first official step to bringing the 2020 Games to the city.

He yesterday announced the creation of a  committee to look into a potential bid for the Olympics, Paralympics and World Expo of 2020.

“The Dubai 2020 initiative will look at how we can shape our environment and society for future generations,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

Dubai Sports City would be seen as central to any potential bid and officials there welcomed the news.

“If a bid was to be successful we are confident we could play a major role, not just in terms of facilities and training camps, but also by providing the basis for a successful bid,” DSC’s Malcolm Thorpe told 7DAYS.

The Games are infamous for the financial strain placed on the host, although the rewards in terms of international prestige and investment are equally large.

The hosts of last year’s Games in Beijing racked up final costs of up  to $40 billion, while London is already running up huge debts to get the city ready for the 2012 event.

Dubai’s scorching weather also presents problems as traditionally the Games are held in July, August or September. Qatar failed at the first hurdle in its bid to host the 2016 Games largely for that reason.

But The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed the event to be pushed back previously. The Melbourne Games of 1956 were held in November-December.

Larry Barthlow, a former athlete and co-ordinator to Haile Gebrselassie and co during the Dubai Marathon, told 7DAYS: “Around late October the weather here gets very pleasant for training and competition.

“But the million dollar question is how far would the IOC allow the Games to be pushed back?”

If Dubai decides to go ahead with a formal 2020 bid, it would have to do so by mid-2013.