Qatar and Saudi Arabia will compete for the hosting rights of the Asian Games in 2030, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has announced.
The OCA In a statement said it had received bids from Doha and Riyadh, the capital cities of the two neighbouring Gulf countries.
“The OCA is delighted to receive two strong bids for our Asian Games in 2030,” said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad al-Sabah, the body’s president.
“It shows the trust and confidence in the Olympic Movement in Asia and further enhances our reputation of hosting world-class sporting events on a major scale.”
The 45-member OCA had invited bids for the games by Wednesday.
The host city will be decided at the OCA General Assembly meeting in Sanya, China, on November 29.
“With these two bids for the 2030 Asian Games we now have stability and continuity in our sports movement for the next decade,” Sheikh Ahmad said.
“It puts us in an envious position in terms of our sports calendar and highlights again that Asia is a major partner in the global Olympic movement.”
Chinese city Hangzhou had been selected to host the next Games in 2022, with the 2026 edition scheduled to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Qatar hosted the 15th edition of the Games in 2006, but Saudi Arabia has never organised an OCA multi-sport event.