The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge revealed to insidethegames last month that the Qatari capital had been asked a supplementary question about the temperature which some senior officials believe will be too hot even though they are proposing to stage the Games between September 20 and October 20, outside the normal window, if they are selected.

"We believe that everything is covered and we have presented things in a way that the IOC will really understand," Doha 2020 chief executive Noora Al Mannai told insidethegames.

Doha's bid for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics ended in controversy four years ago when they failed to make the shortlist because the IOC would not allow them to host the Games later than August.

But that initial bid was ranked technically higher than the one from Rio de Janeiro, who were awarded the Games.

Doha are promising another technically excellent bid.

"This bid is better than last time," said Al Mannai.

"The whole city is under a huge amount of development.

"Whatever was promised before has been already achieved.

"But we have more things to promise.

"We've been through this journey of building this city as a sports hub for a whole region, not just Qatar."


The delegation to Lausanne is being led by Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani (pictured holding Applicant File), the general secretary of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Doha 2020 vice-chairman and will include a number of the country's top athletes, including Nasser Al-Attiyah, who has the unique distinction of having finished fourth in clay pigeon shooting at the 2004 Athens Olympics and winning the Dakar Rally last year.

"This is an exciting milestone for Doha's ambition to bring the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to the Middle East for the first time," said Sheikh Saoud.  

"A great deal of work has gone into our Applicant File and I would like to thank the entire Doha 2020 team for their huge efforts in getting us to this point. 

"We will be delivering our Applicant File to IOC Headquarters and then making its contents public later this month for all to see.

"Our Applicant File contains a strong hosting plan that is based on many existing venues and a number of planned facilities. 

"It also outlines an exciting legacy vision focussed on building opportunities for Olympic sports in the region and growing participation across the Middle East – especially among girls and women. 

"2020 is an historic opportunity to grow the Olympic Movement in a new region and our Applicant File is a crucial step in our ambition to turn this opportunity into reality."

Doha are expected to be followed by rivals Baku, Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo in handing in their Applicant Files before the deadline on Wednesday (February 15) but doubts still remain over whether Rome will receive the Government guarantees in time to submit a bid.

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