Qatar announced on Monday its interest in hosting the Olympics in 2032. If it were to win the bid, it would mark the first time that a Middle Eastern country has ever held the event.
Qatar’s Olympic Committee (QOC) said it had submitted a request to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to join the “continuous dialogue” to host an edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a meaningful dialogue with the IOC’s Future Host Commission to explore our interest further and identify how the Olympic Games can support Qatar’s long-term development goals,” Qatar Olympic Committee President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said in a statement released by QOC.
Qatar is already hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. To that end, the country has built new sporting venues and transportation networks as a result.
However, Qatar has also been tied to Islamists, and secretly provided funding for several terror attacks that killed Americans and Israelis, according to a lawsuit filed in New York last month seeking reparations for the families of the dead.
As part of an alleged funding scheme, Qatari charities utilized the U.S. financial system to illegally transfer funds to the U.S.-designated terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), both of which have waged numerous attacks killing Americans and Israelis, according to the lawsuit.
