Going for the Gold in the Persian Gulf

By any standard, Aspire Sports City in Qatar's capital, Doha, is a dazzling sight. Rising from the desert floor, gleaming buildings stand out in a desiccated industrial landscape. Inside the main edifice, a more than 300,000-sq.-ft. dome, you'll find 10 sports arenas, ranging from tracks and Olympic-size pools to a full-size soccer field. The arching, 50,000-seat Kalifa International Stadium sits next door. Soaring above it all is the steel-mesh Aspire Tower, at 1,050 feet the tallest structure in the country.

This sporting mini-metropolis—the venue for 2006's Asian Games—is the cornerstone of Doha's bid to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to an Arab state for the first time. With 70% of the sports infrastructure in place, 86% of the local populace behind the bid, and solid state backing for the additional $4 billion to $5 billion needed for facilities such as media and athletes' villages, Doha should make the cut on June 4, when the International Olympic Committee whittles the current seven cities down to four or five. The final decision will be made on Oct. 2, 2009. "We are carrying the Arab world behind us," says Hassan Ali Bin Ali, chairman of Doha's bid committee.