DOHA: International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said on Monday that he could “imagine” Qatar will bid to host a future Summer Olympics.

“The procedure for the next Olympic Games is underway and I can imagine one day Qatar would be a candidate for hosting the Olympic Games,” said Bach.

He was speaking in the Qatari capital Doha, the venue for the Association of National Olympic Committee’s General Assembly, which begins on Wednesday.

He is the latest world athletics boss to give his backing to a potential Qatar bid in the past few weeks.

Just last month, the president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Sebastian Coe, said a Qatari Summer Olympics was possible.

And he added that Olympic bosses could move the games to later in the calendar year if the Gulf country ever successfully bids to host the Games, to avoid its fierce summer heats.

Qatar, which will host the football World Cup in 2022, has publicly stated that it will bid for a future Olympics, with 2028 being a likely contender.

It unsuccessfully bid for the 2016 and 2020 games. Qatar will also host the 2019 World Athletics Championships.

Published in Dawn November 15th, 2016