Forget Qatar’s World Cup, the Gulf wants an Olympics. Will it become a new sporting Mecca?

Name: Qatar’s new stadiums all set for World Cup 2022 but its builders are left in the dust
Uploaded: 2022-12-10T00:30:14.000Z
Duration: 5 min 2 s
Description: Qatar’s new stadiums all set for World Cup 2022 but its builders are left in the dust

Saudi Arabia is fuelling speculation that it could host a future World Cup or Olympics, as Qatar is reportedly mulling its fourth bid for the Games

Gulf Arab states certainly have the cash to splash, but can they move past the ‘sportswashing’ accusations amid critics’ human rights concerns?

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Fireworks light up Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, before the start of the first group match in the 2022 World Cup. Photo: AFP

Tom Hussain

Published: 8:30am, 10 Dec 2022

As Qatar prepares to toast the success of its inaugural turn as a Fifa World Cup host, a slew of other major sporting events look poised to descend on the Gulf’s ultra-wealthy, and politically ambitious, oil and gas exporters.

Saudi Arabia has fuelled the speculation in recent months, with its government ministers talking up potential bids for not only its own World Cup but also an Olympic Games, as it follows the United Arab Emirates’ and Qatar’s lead of pumping money into hosting prestigious tournaments and snapping up established names from the world of European football.

Such extravagant outlays have led to corruption allegations and accusations from, mostly Western, critics that the Gulf monarchies – known for their suppression of dissent and dubious human rights records – are attempting to “sportswash” their collective image on the international stage.

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Qatar’s new stadiums all set for World Cup 2022 but its builders are left in the dust

While reputation management and soft-power projection are undoubtedly part of the appeal of hosting such events, other motivations include diversifying their economies away from an over-reliance on energy exports and providing their citizens – many of whom are relatively youthful – with employment opportunities and entertainment, as well as encouraging them to take up sport.

A large proportion of all three Gulf state’s populations are non-citizens – mostly migrant workers and expatriates – ranging from more than 30 per cent in Saudi Arabia to touching 90 per cent in Qatar and the UAE.

“As Gulf nations seek new foreign investment avenues [and economic diversification], investing in European soccer [and sport in general] has emerged as a strategy to accomplish this task,” said Hezha Barzani, a Middle East researcher with the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. “The investments aim to enhance ties to commercial networks in the West, as Gulf nations prepare for the post-oil world.”

Living an Olympic dream?

Saudi Arabia was already set to host the 2034 Asian Games when it was selected by the Olympic Council of Asia in October to be the host nation for the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which it intends to hold in a futuristic US$500 billion desert megacity that it has yet to build.