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SCMP Sport

Controversial Middle East neighbours Saudi Arabia and Qatar will battle it out for the right to host the 2030 Asian Games, the Olympic Council of Asia announced on Thursday evening.
The council said it received two bids to host its showpiece quadrennial event in 10 years’ time with Hangzhou, China and Nagoya, Japan set to host in 2022 and 2026 respectively.
Doha, capital of Qatar, and Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, submitted official bids to host the 21st Asian Games before the OCA’s April 22 deadline.
A press release from the council said both country’s bid applications were accompanied by letters of support from the city and respective governments.
Indonesia’s ‘people power’ Asian Games legacy can boost its 2032 Olympic hopes
Doha last hosted the Asian Games in December 2006 but Saudi Arabia has never organised an OCA multi-sport event.
Both countries have been accused of “sportwashing” their human rights records in recent years after hosting a number of high-profile events.
Indonesia’s legacy will be its people, not its stadiums or roads
Qatar will host the Fifa World Cup in 2022, while Saudi Arabia has landed a number of high-profile one-off events recently, from world championship boxing fights to star-studded golf tournaments.
A recent Daily Mail article reported there have been 34 migrant worker deaths in relation to World Cup 2022 building projects.
Saudi Arabia is still attempting to repair its tattered image on the world stage after the 2018 death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi American journalist and staunch critic of Saudi Arabia, who was murdered inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.


The President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, said: “The OCA is delighted to receive two strong bids for our Asian Games in 2030.
“It shows the trust and confidence in the Olympic Movement in Asia and further enhances our reputation of hosting world-class sporting events on a major scale.”
The last Asian Games was held in Jakarta and Pelambang in 2018. Although widely acknowledged as a huge success for Indonesia, who stepped in as hosts after original hosts Vietnam withdrew from consideration, they spent a reported US$3 billion on hosting the Games.
The OCA sent a circular to all 45 National Olympic Committees on January 23, 2020, inviting bids for the 21st Asian Games in 2030. The deadline was Wednesday, April 22.
“With these two bids for the 2030 Asian Games we now have stability and continuity in our sports movement for the next decade,” Sheikh Ahmad said.
Hong Kong’s best-ever Asian Games medal haul prompts call for more sports funding
“This will allow our National Olympic Committees, our administrators and, above all, our athletes to make solid plans for the future in the short term, medium term and long term.
“It puts us in an envious position in terms of our sports calendar and highlights again that Asia is a major partner in the global Olympic movement.”
The host city for the 2030 Asian Games will be selected at the OCA general assembly on November 29, 2020, on the sidelines of the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China.
Hong Kong finished a creditable 13th in the medal table in a best ever performance at the 2018 edition. Perennial powerhouse China finished well clear of Japan at the top of the standings.


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Asian Games 2018

Saudi Arabia and Qatar to face off in bid to host the 2030 Asian Games

The King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia could be set to play host to events at the 2030 Asian Games. Photo: Claudio Villa/Getty Images for Lega Serie A

Asian Games: Indonesia’s ‘people power’ Asian Games legacy can boost its 2032 Olympic hopes

The Gelora Bung Karno Stadium during the 2018 Asian Games opening ceremony in Jakarta. Photo: Reuters

epa04930954 Elementary school students wear masks to prevent respiratory problems in Palembang, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, 15 September 2015. Meanwhile, Indonesian authorities deployed 1,000 soldiers in South Sumatra province to fight land fires in the area. Haze from land and forest fires is an annual hazard in Indonesia. EPA/ADI WEDA

Athletes march during the closing ceremony of the Asian Games in Jakarta on Sept. 2, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Wushu - 2018 Asian Games - Women's Taijijian - JIExpo Kemayoran Hall B - Jakarta, Indonesia - August 20, 2018 - Lindswell Lindswell of Indonesia competes. REUTERS/Beawiharta

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (L) talks with volunteers during a visit to the main press centre at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta on September 2, 2018. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto / AFP)

Volunteers take a selfie outside Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Sept. 2, 2018, ahead of the closing ceremony of the Asian Games. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

(180817) -- JAKARTA, Aug.17,2018 (Xinhua) -- Motorcyclists pass by an Asian Games billboard in the street of Jakarta on August 14, 2018. August 18 will witness the opening ceremony of the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Asian Games 2018: Indonesia’s legacy will be its people, not its stadiums or roads

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (right) and Asian Games organising committee chief Erick Thohir with the Asian Games torch. Photo: AFP

Families living beside the black river in Jakarta.

Photo taken Aug. 10, 2018, shows the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, the venue where the opening ceremony for the Asian Games 2018 will be held on Aug. 18. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A football lies in the middle of the covering placed over the Black River in Jakarta.

TOPSHOT - This handout photo from the Surabaya local government (Pemerintah Kota Surabaya) taken on May 13, 2018 and received by AFP on May 14, 2018 shows police at the site of a blast outside the Gereja Pantekosta Pusat Surabaya (Surabaya Centre Pentecostal Church) in Surabaya. A series of blasts, including at least one suicide bombing, struck churches in Indonesia on May 13, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens in the deadliest attack for years in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country. / AFP PHOTO / PEMERINTAH KOTA SURABAYA / Andy PINARIA / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / PEMERINTAH KOTA SURABAYA / ANDY PINARIA" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Indonesian journalists Tya Frebriani, Abdul Majid and Adam Robani

Hong Kong's best-ever Asian Games medal haul prompts call for more sports funding

City’s chief executive sends congratulations to athletes in Jakarta following rainy closing ceremony to games that saw Hong Kong bag eight gold medals and China again top the standings, with 132 golds

(180902) -- JAKARTA, Sept. 2, 2018 (Xinhua) -- The closing ceremony of the 18th Asian Games is held at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Main Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 2, 2018.(Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

(180902) -- JAKARTA, Sept. 2, 2018 (Xinhua) -- Chinese swimmer Sun Yang and Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, are seen at the Hangzhou 2022 presentation during the closing ceremony for the 18th Asian Games at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Main Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.(Xinhua/Ding Ting)

2018 Asian Games - Closing Ceremony - GBK Main Stadium - Jakarta, Indonesia - September 2, 2018 - A representative from China waves the Olympic Council of Asia flag after it was handed over by Indonesia. REUTERS/Issei Kato

Fireworks explode over the Gelora Bung Karno main stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Photo: AFP

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Both countries have been criticised for their apparent ‘sportwashing’ strategies in recent years
Qatar will host the Fifa World Cup in 2022



Both countries have been criticised for their apparent ‘sportwashing’ strategies in recent years.


IOC (International Olympic Committee)

Fifa World Cup 2022

Saudi Arabia

Jamal Khashoggi killing

Saudi Arabia and Qatar to face off in bid to host the 2030 Asian Games

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Both countries have been criticised for their apparent ‘sportwashing’ strategies in recent years Qatar will host the Fifa World Cup in 2022

Both countries have been criticised for their apparent ‘sportwashing’ strategies in recent years

Qatar will host the Fifa World Cup in 2022