Doha Qatar announced last month it will bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and is trying to attract events like the world indoor athletics championships and the world short court swimming championships.
Bit its primary concern for the moment is the 15th Asiad Games, considered the largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics, which the city is hosting December 1-15 and where forty-five countries from across the region will compete in 39 sports.
Qatar has invested $2.8 billion into building new infrastructure including state-of-the-art sports facilities and an athletes village that will become a hospital once the event is over.
But what the China Post calls the jewel in its crown is the huge Aspire complex, which is now finished.
It was built over 22 months with a minimum 2,100 workers on site at any one time, and is said to be the largest indoor sports dome in the world.
The complex will host gymnastics, badminton, weightlifting, wrestling, boxing, wushu and kadaddi, all under one roof.
Nearby is the Kahlifa Stadium which will hold the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the athletics program.
Security at the Games is being taken very seriously and according to Games security chief Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Al Ansari systems similar to those deployed for the Athens Games and the upcoming World Cup in Germany are being used.
He said, “a Games security task force has been set up with more than 6,000 personnel. It will act as a deterrent to any group that seeks to disrupt the Games”.
