Dubai is planning to expand its existing sports facilities and eyes submitting a bid to host an Olympic Games, said government officials.
Ali Omar, Director of Dubai Sports Council (DSC) sports development department, said that submitting a candidature as host city to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was still on the agenda. He said, “hosting the Olympics is a dream. We hope to submit such a bid within the next eight years, God willing”.
Omar said that Qatar did a good job to win the FIFA World Cup in 2022. He added, “Qatar’s move put professional sports in the whole Gulf Arab region in the focus of world’s attention”.
Within the Dubai Sports City there is a district that provides football and cricket stadiums, as well as sports academies on a 50 million square feet surface.
Dr. Ahmed Al Sharif, the DSC secretary general, briefed the media on Dubai’s achievements of hosting professional sports events and enhancing sports facilities and events on health.
He said that Dubai has built a number of high-tech stadiums, and more stadiums and facilities would be needed across the emirate for a bid for a major global competition in sports.
