ANCIENT OLYMPIA: Staging the 2022 Qatar World Cup in winter will not affect the Winter Olympics, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said yesterday.
Bach, who was attending the Sochi 2014 Winter Games torch lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia, said he had held talks with FIFA President Sepp Blatter and was confident the two major events would steer clear of each other.
“This is a FIFA discussion and the IOC will not interfere. I spoke with Blatter a couple of weeks ago when he made the proposal to have the World Cup in November 2022 and we will follow this discussion in the FIFA executive committee.”
Qatar, where summer temperatures top 45 degrees C, bid for a traditional summer tournament and was awarded the World Cup three years ago.
The IOC’s winter Games usually fall in the first three months of the year. “I am very sure that there will be a solution in the mutual interest because neither FIFA nor IOC wants a clash of dates for such major events. That is why I am not worried,” said Bach, who succeeded Jacques Rogge at the helm of the IOC this month.
Qatar has repeatedly said it is open to a switch to winter dates but reiterated that despite the heat the World Cup could be staged in summer by building AC stadiums using newly environmentally friendly technology.
There have been calls for compensation if the dates are switched and Blatter said earlier this month it may have been a mistake to award a summer tournament to Qatar. Reuters
