Borrowing from nature and local legend, Qatar has unveiled a multi-colored tree under the slogan “inspiring change” for its 2020 summer Olympics games bid.

The unveil comes days before Doha joins Rome, Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo in submitting application files to the International Olympic Committee, which are due on Wednesday. 

Inspired by the Arabic word for Doha ‘ad-dawha’ – or ‘the nurturing tree’ – referenced in Arabic poetry as a place of generosity and nurturing, Doha 2020’s logo captures the essence of modern Doha – a place of nurturing for all to experience and to learn.

…This slogan demonstrates the impact Olympic and Paralympic Games could have in the region; reflects the events of the past year across the Middle East and North Africa; and shows Qatar’s vision and commitment Qatar to sport development.

Interestingly, Qatar does not stray far from the theme it used during its unsuccessful 2016 bid, which consisted of a flower and the slogan, “celebrating change.”

During that campaign, the desert country, which sees temperatures rise to a searing 50C (122F) in the summer, was thought to have lost points because it proposed pushing back the games until the cooler months of fall.

But this time, Doha’s idea to hold the games later in the year has been green-lighted by the IOC, which said a shift in schedule would not be a “deal-breaker.”

Though the games won’t take place for another eight years, the IOC will release a candidate short list in May and announce the winning host city next September.

Fingers crossed, y’all! What do you think of the new logo?

Credit: Photo courtesy of the Qatar Olympic Committee