The five cities bidding to host the 2020 Olympics will present their pitches for the first time today at the Association of National Olympic Committees’ (ACNO) general assembly in Moscow.

In a show of its support and enthusiasm for the bid, Qatar is sending Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to make the 10-minute presentation in front of an audience that includes many members of the International Olympic Committee, which decides who gets hosting rights.

The IOC will announce next month which five cities in the running – including Tokyo, Baku, Madrid and Istanbul – will make it to the next round. 

Qatar failed to make it past the first round when it bid for the Olympics in 2016.

Inside the Games reports:

The English-educated Sheikh is the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and a member of the IOC but the decision to use him so early in the campaign appears designed to demonstrate the level of support that the bid enjoys.

Azerbaijan is also sending a prominent figure – its first lady, Mehriban Aliyeva.

Thoughts?