As Qatar launched its bid to host another of the world’s biggest sporting events, it has already been able to showcase its financial clout by putting the first of the new venues planned for the games out to tender.

Doha is hoping to follow up the successful bid to host football’s World Cup in 2022 by claiming the rights to hold the Olympic Games two years earlier. When the small Gulf peninsula launched its bid to host the World Cup in late 2009, it was regarded as a publicity stunt with no chance of realisation. In the end, Qatar overcame the sceptics and it was selected as the host in late 2010.

Doha is hoping to follow up its successful bid to host football’s World Cup in 2022

Despite having a population of no more than 1.8 million, Qatar was able to use its vast natural resources to win support to host the 2022 event. By tabling an unprecedented $70bn infrastructure programme as part of its bid, Qatar was able to convince the world that it could deliver one of its greatest sporting events. Doha is confident it can do it again.

During the official launch of its bid on 20 February, Doha’s Olympic bid committee announced that more than a third of the sporting venues required exist already, and more than 50 per cent will be built regardless of whether it wins the Games.

Those behind Doha’s Olympic bid stress that providing the supporting infrastructure required for a major sporting event will not be a problem, citing the $50bn worth of transport projects scheduled for completion by 2020.

Qatar’s quest to host the Olympics will boost the region’s construction sector, which is already gearing up for the raft of work to be tendered over the next decade.

To win the right to host the Olympics, Doha will need to see off competition from four other states. Last time Qatar launched an Olympic bid, it failed to make the candidate list. But as Qatar has proved with its successful bid to host the football World Cup, anything is possible.