Al Tamami & Company Lawyer Says Dubai In 'Strong Position' To Bid For Olympics

Middle East law firm Al Tamami & Company Head of Sports Law Steven Bainbridge said that "Dubai is in a strong position to make a bid for the Olympic Games in the coming years," according to Amanda Fisher of the KHALEEJ TIMES. Bainbridge said that the region "was in good standing to make an inaugural Olympics bid before long -- especially given Dubai's successful World Expo 2020 bid and Qatar hosting the Football World Cup in 2022." Bainbridge: "That’s the elephant in the room. In terms of sports, the World Cup is massive and that’s coming to the region ... but I think at some point there will be an Olympic bid in the region ... (Dubai) is the natural choice." Bainbridge added that with the "huge increase in all aspects of sports involvement," especially in the Europe, Middle East and Africa market (EMEA), where revenues have grown 4.6% "largely due to sponsorship, companies were understanding the importance of sports sponsorship" (KHALEEJ TIMES, 1/16).