The Gulf States loom: Bach opened pandora's box. Out of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE, which is the "least bad" option and which is the worst?

[iceman530]

Our jokes have now officially turned to fears, and I think it is fair to have a discussion about it accordingly.  I think we are all privy to Bach's quote about being opening to switching dates now for "certain regions".  I think this is the frightening shoe in the door that countries like Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia wanted exactly.  

All of these countries are absolutely beyond repulsive from a women's rights, LGBT rights perspective, and worker's perspective.  No doubt such a country would use slave labor like Qatar did and there would be plenty of casualties.

So which would be "best"?  Im thinking UAE as that is still a vacation destination for western tourists and women can still dress in a western way.  I think Saudi Arabia would be the absolute worst given the burqua thing and treating women like actual livestock (if you've ever interacted with the Saudis, you know this).  

It makes me pray for Istanbul hard right now.  They might as well be choir boys in comparison.  Thoughts?

[Sir Rols]

I used to think of Dubai as the region’s long term possible/probable, but then it was Doha that emerged as the region’s hosting hoarder, with the Saudi’s now just throwing silly money around to upstage them. I’d be incredibly dismayed to see Qatar or KSA snatch the Olympics, and I could just about stomach UAE, though they’re the least likely.

Ahmedabad’s starting to look not-totally repulsive.

[FYI]

Yeah, well, it does seem, especially as of late, that the writing is already on the wall about the Middle East hosting an Olympics in the sometime, relative near-future. And of those three, I'd agree that the UAE would seem like the most palatable, but also agree, seems like the most unlikely of the trio. So then that leaves SA & QA. And of those two, they each have their issues & their so-called 'pros', if you will (at least according to our favorite columnist AA [who now writes for ITG's, which seems perfect for him], especially when it comes to Doh-a, that is).  

SA has the draw of being the biggest country of the three to play that card, but Doha OTHO, has that splashy-flashy, "fun" card, like the Vegas of the Middle East, if you will, going for it. And they'd probably be less controversial than SA would. But ultimately, it's the geopolitical relationships that's going to give one over the other the edge here, & I'd still say that's going to be QA. They've been playing this game the longest, & their emir has been an IOC member for half his life already, & has surely been bending Bach's ear, especially as of late after the 2032 coronation (which he wasn't particularly happy about). Qatar can still play the Middle East card just as good as SA can, & the rest of the world won't be trying to decipher which of the two would be the 'most deserving' in that category anyway.

That said, though, this list is still missing that 'wild card' in this case, which is India, which would also benefit from a "switching of Summer Olympic dates 'til later in the year" category.  And which Bach is also playing political footsie with, & which India also has two prominent IOC members in their ranks, & can advocate that they're now the largest country in the world that has yet to host the Olympic Games. And with the latest inclusion of Cricket at the Olympics (which the Indians are huge fans of) & now this latest tidbit from Bach about the dates, do we really need anymore clues as to what's really going on here? At this point, it wouldn't surprise me in the least, that in the next Summer Olympic host city coronations that we'll have a(nother) double-allocation of Doh-a & Ahmeda-bad, so Bach & Co. doesn't have to choose between his 'alliances' & make anyone upset or angry, & therefore continue the great new-norm's "less losers" outcome.

[TorchbearerSydney]

Q: Doha OTHO, has that splashy-flashy, "fun" card, like the Vegas of the Middle East

Doha is not splashy, or flashy or fun...there is literally nothing there to do. ZERO. The city that looks impressive in photos is tiny- there area about 10 tall buildings.

Dubai is quite a bit better.

[Bear]

well the "good" thing about Doha is that most if not all of its infrastructure should be ready, considering the 2006 and 2030 Asian Games.

that being said, I think I'd prefer the UAE out of the three.

[FYI]

Quote

Doha is not splashy, or flashy or fun…there is literally nothing there to do. ZERO.

I meant that in comparison to Riyadh (which is the gist of this thread). So when compared that way, Doh-a would seem like paradise in the middle of nowhere.

Quote

The city that looks impressive in photos is tiny- there area about 10 tall buildings.

Hmmmm, that sounds just like another city that’s been talked about a lot around here lately.. 
 

[BigVic]

Was the Doha World Athletics Championships a success?
 

Before the 2022 World Cup, Qatar hosted the 2019 World Athletics Championships to small crowds. 

[Beno Luxury Rentals]

I would prefer Dubai in all of these. Dubai is a luxury for everyone where you can do many entertaining things, e.g,  atlantis helicopter tour dubai. It's a lot of fun there so I will choose Dubai. 

[AustralianFan]

On 5/1/2024 at 11:26 AM, FYI said:

I meant that in comparison to Riyadh (which is the gist of this thread). So when compared that way, Doh-a would seem like paradise in the middle of nowhere.

Hmmmm, that sounds just like another city that’s been talked about a lot around here lately.. 
 

Fortunately the Olympic Games are not played in skyscraper buildings, nor is how big or how many taken into consideration.

[FYI]

Ummmm, but I'm not the one who brought up skyscrapers ITFP. It was meant to be cheeky. So read more carefully next time. 

[Australian Kiwi]

Dubai is amazing - Qatar and Saudi less so. 

Very frustrating to see rules so easily bend for some but not others - particularly for Melbourne who never got a chance at a second Olympics on the basis that it couldn't host in its preferred time slot (Olympics from mid Oct).

[stryker]

If the IOC is going to the ME it will be Istanbul IMO. Istanbul allows the IOC to cross off the Muslim world and the ME without having to worry about the Israel-Palestinian issue. The UAE would be a close second and might work better as a joint Abu Dhabi-Dubai bid. With Qatar and KSA the IOC would not be able to guarantee Israel would be allowed to participate. 

[Australian Kiwi]

On 8/3/2024 at 5:15 PM, stryker said:

If the IOC is going to the ME it will be Istanbul IMO. Istanbul allows the IOC to cross off the Muslim world and the ME without having to worry about the Israel-Palestinian issue. The UAE would be a close second and might work better as a joint Abu Dhabi-Dubai bid. With Qatar and KSA the IOC would not be able to guarantee Israel would be allowed to participate. 

Not to nitpick but Istanbul isn't the ME - but yeah in terms of sentiment it would be a great first time SOG host for the Muslim world. 

I'd imagine a Dubai bid would involve venues in Abu Dhabi much like Brisbane is using the Gold Coast in 2032. 

[FYI]

21 minutes ago, Australian Kiwi said:

Not to nitpick but Istanbul isn't the ME - but yeah in terms of sentiment it would be a great first time SOG host for the Muslim world. 

Technically, no. But the perception would be there nonetheless. Just like how Morocco (or sometimes Egypt even) isn’t technically viewed as the ME, but perception & cultural wise, they have more in common with the ME than with (sub-saharan) “Africa”. 

[StefanMUC]

On 8/3/2024 at 9:15 AM, stryker said:

If the IOC is going to the ME it will be Istanbul IMO. Istanbul allows the IOC to cross off the Muslim world and the ME without having to worry about the Israel-Palestinian issue. The UAE would be a close second and might work better as a joint Abu Dhabi-Dubai bid. With Qatar and KSA the IOC would not be able to guarantee Israel would be allowed to participate. 

Hmmm…Erdo surely has hos own anti-Israel stance as well.

[stryker]

3 hours ago, StefanMUC said:

Hmmm…Erdo surely has hos own anti-Israel stance as well.

Turkey has full diplomatic relations with Israel whereas KSA and Qatar do not. There's nothing stopping a potential Qatar or KSA bid from suddenly barring the Israeli team on "visa issues " a few weeks before the Olympics knowing the IOC would be powerless to do anything at that point.

There's also the issue of NBC who I fully expect to pay a very lucrative price for broadcasting and streaming righta via Peacock when their agreement expires which would give them enough clout to keep the SOGs in their traditional window.

Istanbul keeps them in that traditional hosting window and I also think it would leave the door open for a western Europe bid in 2040

 

[mr.bernham]

God, giving the games to any of the options we've discussed here aside from Turkey or Morocco would effectively bin any goodwill the Olympics have gained in light of Paris/Milan/LA/Alps/Brisbane/Salt Lake 

[Comped]

On 4/30/2024 at 3:42 AM, TorchbearerSydney said:

Q: Doha OTHO, has that splashy-flashy, "fun" card, like the Vegas of the Middle East

Doha is not splashy, or flashy or fun...there is literally nothing there to do. ZERO. The city that looks impressive in photos is tiny- there area about 10 tall buildings.

Dubai is quite a bit better.

And by the time time a ME Olympics comes around, we'll have casinos in the UAE (and probably Dubai). Which certainly makes it a better choice than Qatar!

The UAE is western enough that of any option in the Gulf (perhaps with the exception of Bahrain), it's the most palatable for the Olympic viewing public (and we wouldn't have to worry about the Israeli relations issue due to normalization). They'd have to improve their facilities, and the number of hotel rooms, but there is enough to do there to entertain people outside the Games, and the bones of a good public transport network as well.

[TorchbearerSydney]

Q : there is enough to do there to entertain people outside the Games

 

There is nothing to do there...nothing. 

There isnt even a 'there'.....have you been ??