NPR reports:

Organizers of Qatar’s World Cup bid were accused of paying bribes to voting members of the governing body of the sport, known as FIFA. The chief accuser, a media aide involved in the 2022 effort, later recanted her accusations. But there were also allegations that Qatar’s biggest cheerleader for the World Cup bid had offered bribes to FIFA members during his recent campaign to become FIFA President.

…How does the IOC feel about an Olympic bid involving Qatar given a major bidding scandal involving one of the nation’s major sports leaders?

“Qatar has had a highly professional approach of the bidding process and we are happy that they are part of the 2020 competition,” writes IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau in an email to NPR. “We commend the [Qatar National Olympic Committee] for its professionalism and the exemplary manner with which they handled the process so far.”

No Middle Eastern country has staged the Olympics and the IOC has shown strong interest in taking the Olympics to regions that have never hosted them before.

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