UAE National Olympic Committee Finance Dir Abdulrahman Falaknaz said that Dubai will bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics "as soon as an expected go-ahead from the government comes through," according to Andy Mitten of THE NATIONAL. Falaknaz said, "Our bidding has started already. The UAE has the infrastructure, capability, manpower and know-how to host such events. There is pressure on cities when they host huge events like the Olympics, but Dubai and the UAE can take it." A Dubai Olympics would make history as "no city from the Middle East or the Muslim world" has hosted the event. Falaknaz revealed that representatives from Dubai have been "consulting senior figures from past host cities of the biggest event in sports." Bidding for the 2024 Games will start in '15, with the winners announced by the IOC in '17. Eighteen cities are thought to be preparing a bid for '24, including Paris, Berlin, Rome, St. Petersburg, Toronto, Guadalajara, Dallas, Los Angeles, Nairobi, Casablanca, Durban and Taipei City. Asked about the prospect of the Olympics being awarded to a wider region, Falaknaz said, "It could be better because the expenses would be divided. The expenses for the Olympic Games are more than the revenues, especially with the security costs" (THE NATIONAL, 12/5).
