Doha keeps Asiad as second biggest multi-sport event

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-12-04 09:04

President of the Olympic Council of Asia Shiekh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said on Sunday that Doha kept the Asian Games as the second biggest sporting event in the world.

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He said based on the feedback he had received from IOC members, international federations and NOCs, Doha was on track to maintain the Asian Games as the second largest multi-sport event and third largest sporting event in the world, behind the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.

"We have to defend our position," Shiekh Ahmad told reporters Sunday evening during a tour of the Main Media Center of the Asian Games.

"I think we will still keep our position. Maybe we will try to bring our shoulders a little bit with the others but we want to keep our position as the second largest multi-sport Games and the third biggest event in the world."

Shiekh Ahmad, who is also an IOC member for Kuwait, said he believed the broadcast technology being used in Doha and the design of the facilities made them superior to the equivalent operations in both the Athens Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in Germany.

"It is the latest technology and I think... it will be used even in Beijing 2008 (Olympic Games) and Guangzhou 2010 (Asian Games)," he said.



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