Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, a city in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

, announced an interest in bidding for the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Winning the 2016

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

bid could have increased the speed of Dubai's emergence as a leading world city. Dubai did not submit a bid.

Factors for the bid

's economic and structural development was seen to play in its favor. The construction of the

Dubai Sports City Dubai Sports City or DSC is a multi-venue sports complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, developed by Dubai. It provides a mix of residential, retail, leisure and recreational facilities. It is built around five major sports venues and feature ...

and a multitude of new hotels - such as the

Burj al-Arab Burj ( ar, برج, ''tower'', derived from either Middle Persian "burg" or Greek loan-word "pyrgos") may refer to: Places India * Burj Kaila, a village in Jalandhar district, Punjab, India * Burj Pukhta, a village in Jalandhar district, Punjab, In ...

- would also boost its chances. Another factor in favour of the

bid was its location - although this was also a major disadvantage (see below). At the time of bidding, there had never been a host country from

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

or the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, leading the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

eager to grant a city in one of these regions the chance to host the Games. However, they were more eager in granting it to poorer nations than the UAE.Rogge urges Africa to bid for 2016 Summer Olympics, People's Daily
Online, 13 January 2005, accessed 15 April 2007

Factors against the bid

One main concern with the

bid was the weather. During the summer, city temperatures can reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), a potential disadvantage to the athletes. However, this would be somewhat improved if the Games were to be held in the early autumn or late

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

. Also, in terms of sporting history, the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

has had a small presence in prior Olympiads, having won one medal.

Outcome

Dubai never submitted a bid. The nearby city of

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

submitted a bid.

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

was chosen to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

References

{{Bids for the 2016 Summer Olympics 2016 Summer Olympics bids Sports competitions in Dubai *