Qatar Olympic Committee chairman to head 2020 Olympic bid

DOHA // Qatar's Olympic Committee chairman has appointed himself head of the Gulf nation's drive to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

A decree by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the crown prince of Qatar, posted today on Qatari state media websites, said he would lead the Olympic effort and named other high-level members of the bid team.

Doha is proposing to hold the games in September and October to avoid the summer heat in the Gulf region.

Last month, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) president Lamine Diack, said the country would be able to move the 2017 World Athletics Championships, if they were to win the event.

The 2020 Olympic host city will be selected in September 2013 with Qatar facing competition from five other cities including Rome, Madrid, Tokyo, Istanbul and Baku.

Qatar have already succeeded in winning the right to stage a major sporting event, when awarded the 2022 football World Cup in January this year, though it has not been decided if the tournament, also held in the summer months, will be switched to the winter.