DOHA (Qatar), Oct 26 (Bernama) — Qatar unveiled the logo, slogan and official website of its ambitious `Doha 2016′ bid to host the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics last night in a gala ceremony on the waterfront of the Corniche (esplanade) of Doha Bay.
Promising a `Celebration of Change’ with a logo of stylised Arabic calligraphy depicting the phrase `Doha 2016′ in the form of the desert spring flower known locally as `Aldahma’, the launch cements the tiny but wealthy Gulf state’s seriousness in seeing through the announcement of its ambition at the close of the Doha Asian Games last December.
“The Doha 2016 Olympic and Paralympic bid can change Qatar. It can change this entire region. It can change the world. Now that will indeed be a change to celebrate,” said bid committee chairman Hassan Ali bin Ali.
“Hosting the Games in Doha in 2016 would bring the Olympic flame to the Arabic-speaking world for the first time, extending the Olympic ideals to millions of new hearts and minds. Never has the Olympic family had an opportunity to make such a difference to the peoples of the world,” he told gathered dignitaries led by the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and his brother Sheikh Joaan.
Hassan is one of Qatar’s top businessmen and founder of the government-supported Shafallah Centre for children with special needs.
Outlining a focus on youth, he added: “It is among the young peoples of this region and the rest of the world that we must nourish the core values of respect, tolerance, understanding and hope – and through these ideals offer them an opportunity to effect great and positive changes to the world that they will inherit.”
A fire-tipped arrow fired by Doha 2016 ambassador Nada Zeidan, Qatar’s multi-talented sporting heroine who represents the country in archery and rally racing, launched a curtain of mist on which the bid’s logo was projected, followed by a fireworks display.
The logo was designed by students of the local campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.
The climax capped a 45-minute long song, dance and light show which incorporated acrobatics by the Arrayal troupe who performed at the opening of the European League Championship.
Labourers standing shoulder to shoulder with uniform-clad schoolchildren and picnicking families along the promenade and grassy areas of Corniche were among the tens of thousands of locals and expatriates who responded to an open call sent out by the organisers via SMS in the run-up to the event.
Malaysian geoscientist Sonny Lim was one example, but he was, however, rather disappointed.
“It wasn’t really exciting because we were not allowed to get near enough to watch the actual ceremony and the fireworks display was very short,” commented the former resident of Kuala Lumpur who came to Doha just seven months ago.
Mother-of-two Farsha Verignac shared the same sentiments.
“The crowd was there but the festivity was nothing much. The show was supposed to start at 6pm, so we were there already at 5pm. But the fireworks started only at 8pm, and it was a very short display,” she said.
Residents of far flung industrial townships outside Doha were brought in by the bus-loads to join those gathered around three projector screens playing silent visuals of the ceremony alongside cultural performances by small groups brought in from various countries including Spain, whose capital Madrid is also bidding for the 2016 Olympics & Paralympics.
Besides Doha and Madrid, Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Prague and the Azerbaijan capital Baku are the other applicant cities which submitted their applications upon the deadline of Sept 13.
The International Olympic Council’s (IOC) Executive Board is scheduled to announce its shortlist of candidate cities in June 2008, ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympics from Aug 8-24.
The final vote for the host of the 2016 Olympics & Paralympics takes place at the 121st IOC Session and Olympic Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark on Oct 2, 2009.