Only last month, it was reported that the Qatar Olympic Committee were preparing a bid for the 2036 Games with IOC President Thomas Bach revealing  "double-digit" numbers of countries had expressed interest. Among those are thought to be Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Spain, Chile, Germany and India.

Relevo reports that Doha is the preferred bid among IOC members. There is also an unwritten rule of rotation of continents with the Games with 2036 earmarked as Asia's turn after Paris 2024 (Europe), Los Angeles 2028 (Americas) and Brisbane 2032 (Oceania). Also in Doha's favour is that it would be the first Olympic Games staged in the Middle East.

While the announcement is not scheduled until 2026 at the earliest, Doha - having been overlooked for 2032 - has maintained "continuous dialogue" with the IOC. While the 2025 IOC Session will be dominated by the election of Bach's successor as president, the 2026 IOC Session - at the conclusion of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics - could see Doha announced as 2036 Games hosts.

Bach may well have alluded to Doha as potential hosts in an interview with AFP last month. In it he said the Summer Olympics might have to move to the cooler European autumn months. That would follow the precedent set by the 2022 FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar, which was staged in November and December instead of its usual June and July timeslot.

As well as the World Cup, Doha has hosted a number of major sporting competitions over the past decade starting with the World Men's Handball Championship in 2015. It also hosted the 2016 Road Cycling World Championships, the 2019 World Athletics Championships, and last year's World Judo Championships. This year it has staged the AFC Asian Cup football tournament and the World Aquatics Championships.