Congratulations, Doha To Host The 2030 Asian Games

Illustration: The atmosphere of the Janoub Stadium, one of the stadiums to be used for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar,

JAKARTA - The Asian Olympic Council (OCA) on Wednesday appointed Doha, Qatar to host the 2030 Asian Games.

Based on the OCA executive board meeting which took place in Muscat, Oman, Doha was determined to host the 2030 Asian Games after receiving the most votes, namely 27 votes from OCA member countries.

"I can now announce that the city which won the most votes and will host the 2030 (Asian Games) is Doha," said OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

The bidding process to host the 2030 Asian Games involves two countries, namely Doha (Qatar) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).

Doha has hosted the Asian Games in 2006, while Saudi Arabia has never held a multievent OCA sport.

Therefore, in order to create a win-win solution and avoid a prolonged conflict between the two countries, the OCA president decided to appoint Riyadh, which only received 10 votes in the voting, to host the 2034 Asian Games.

"Riyadh will be the host city in 2034," said Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

Qatar, which has also declared itself to be in the bidding for the 2032 Olympics, said that through the 2030 Asian Games it hopes to see more Asian athletes climbing the Olympic podium.

“Our goal is simple. We want to see more Asian athletes in the future, on the Olympic podium, "said Qatar Olympic Committee Chairman Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani ahead of the vote.

The 2022 Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China, while Japan will host the 20th edition in 2026 in two cities, namely Nagoya and Aichi.