Doha ready to host Asian Games in 2031 if schedule shifts, organisers say

Doha’s organising committee says it can stage the Asian Games if the 2030 edition is postponed to 2031, but the final call lies with continental and international bodies, Ahmad Abdulla Al-Buenain told AFP in Nagoya on Thursday. He added: "We are working closely with the OCA. For us, it’s 2030."

Reports earlier this year said the Olympic Council of Asia executive board approved changes to the Games calendar in February, a move reported in April that would place the Asian Games one year before each Olympic Games so they could serve as qualification and preparation events. IOC President Kirsty Coventry is reported to have backed that proposal. Under the suggested shift, Doha’s slot would move to 2031, which the organisers noted would fall months before the 2032 Brisbane Olympics; currently Doha is scheduled for November 4-19, 2030 and won the rights on December 16, 2020 at the 39th OCA General Assembly in Muscat.

Al-Buenain acknowledged the host must be involved in any change and said it was not a unilateral decision, adding that any alteration would be handled "between the OCA and the IOC." He cautioned that if the date were moved "either one year earlier or postponed a year for some specific reason, we need to make sure as the LOC (local organising committee) that we are ready, that the venues are ready, all the operation plans are going on."

Organisers have stated a preference for compact Games using existing facilities and have committed to including all sports and athletes. They point to Qatar’s existing infrastructure from staging the 2006 Asian Games and the 2022 FIFA World Cup and to the country’s experience of hosting an increasing number of major events over the past 20 years; Al-Buenain said, "Qatar is ready. Whenever it comes to Qatar, Qatar is ready."

If Doha does host the edition, it would become the fourth city to stage the Asian Games twice, with Riyadh currently scheduled to follow in 2034. The current Games in Japan drew criticism over organisational issues, particularly athlete accommodation and transport, and hosted more than 17,000 athletes and officials amid reports from some teams of a shortage of beds.

On expected participant numbers for Doha, Al-Buenain said it was "too early to discuss numbers" and added, "There is no limit up to this point." He also noted that the date and duration of the Games remain open while the calendar discussions continue.

The next step rests with the OCA and the IOC to decide whether to alter the Asian Games calendar; until they reach a decision Doha remains scheduled for November 4-19, 2030.