Doha 2020 Bid Rides on Offering Compact Olympic Games

Doha, February 20 (QNA) - Hosting a compact Olympic Games, involving travel times of less than 21 minutes from the Games Centre to all competition venues, is one of the key features of the Doha's bid to win the rights to stage the 2020 edition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Details of the bid were unveiled by Doha 2020 Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Technical Bid and Project Management Deputy CEO Faha Juma at a media conference held at the Aspire Torch Tower here Monday. The technical bid book elaborates the strategy of utilizing existing and planned sports venues in five Sports Zones. Among the highlights of the plan are:- * 91% of the sports venues are either already built or already planned and budgeted for as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030. * No need for any new permanent sports venues, or Games-related infrastructure investment, ensuring only minimal additional spending would be required to stage the 2020 Olympics. * Less than 21 minutes of average travel times for all athletes and media from the Games Centre to every single competition venue. * The opening and closing ceremonies to take place at the new Lusail National Stadium - the venue for the opening match and final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. * Khalifa Stadium to be upgraded to a 60,000 capacity dedicated athletics stadium. * Doha's new $21 Billion metro system will link to 78% of all sports venues. * 50,000 hotel rooms and serviced apartments will be within 15km of the majority of Games venues. * The compact hosting plan, world class transport system and location of accommodation will ensure spectators can watch several events in a single day. * Almost half of all Games tickets will be priced at less than $25. Among the other notable features of the bid is the legacy of the region s first women's High Performance Training Centre, and the first Olympic-standard cycling velodrome in the Middle East. (QNA)