(ATR) The Doha 2020 Olympics bid appoints Mike Lee's VERO Communications and Andrew Craig as lead consultants in its quest to bring the Games to the Middle East for the first time.
Both men were involved in Doha's failed bid to land the 2016 Games.Lee's communications firm also played a key PR role in Qatar 2022'ssuccessful World Cup effort. He also aided Rio's 2016 Olympics bid win and, more recently, PyeongChang 2018's winning Winter Olympics bid.
"We are delighted to have both VERO and Andrew Craig advising and supporting us in what we hope will be an historic campaign," said Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, secretary general of the Qatar Olympic Committee and vice-president of Doha 2020.
"Mike Lee and his VERO team have an unparalleled track record helping cities and nations successfully bid for mega sports events and they know our passion for sport having worked with the QOC and Qatar's successful World Cup bid.
"Allied to Andrew Craig's top level expertise in sports marketing and International Relations, this is a great combination and a boost to our bid."
Commenting on today's appointment, bid CEO Noora Al-Mannai, said: "We have already started building our Doha bid team and it is great to have people of genuine credibility in the international business of sport advising our project.
"Our mission is to show the Olympic Family what Qatar and the region has to offer and we will be making further announcements shortly on appointments and howour bid will be structured to deliver that goal."
Lee, the former communications director of the London 2012 bid, said Doha 2020 had made a strong start since the IOC confirmed the Gulf state as a 2020 applicant city on Sept. 2 "with visionary and talented leadership and we are proud to be part of the campaign and team".
Craig claimed the bid had "tremendous potential to deliver something amazing for Qatar, the Middle East and the Olympic Movement".
Today's announcement comes a week after Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, IOC member and president of the Qatar Olympic Committee, unveiled its leadership team for the Doha 2020 bid.
He chairs the bid, with Sheikh Saoud and Shaikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani as vice presidents. Noora Ali Al-Mannai is the bid's chief executive.
Doha launched its 2020 bid on Aug. 26. It is one of the six applicant cities for the Olympics after Rio 2016. Baku, Istanbul Madrid, Rome and Tokyo are the other cities vying for the Games.
Before the bid launch, the IOC had rubberstamped a request by Qatar to propose the staging of the 2020 Games in September-October, outside the traditional July-August Olympics window, to avoid the fierce desert heat.
Doha is also bidding to stage the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships; London is the only other candidate.
Last week, 2017 bid committee chairman Sheikh Saoud welcomed an IAAF inspection team to the Qatari capital. The IAAF's decision comes on Nov. 11.
Doha's 2020 bid leaders will attend the IOC's applicant cities seminar in Lausanne on Nov. 3-4.
The IOC votes on the 2020 host city at the Session in Buenos Aires on Sept. 7, 2013.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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