DOHA, Dec 02, 2010 (AFP) - Qatar, the tiny and energy-rich Gulf Arab country that was picked on Thursday to host the 2022 World Cup, has placed Middle East football "on the world map," the head of Qatar's Olympic Committee said.
Thousands converged on the corniche and other public places in Doha in an outburst of joy following the announcement in Zurich that Qatar would play host in 12 years to football's top championship.
"Qatar places the Middle East on the world map," Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the head of Qatar's Olympic Committee, gushed in an interview with Al-Jazeera television.
The United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia were also bidding for the games.
Qatar, a major oil producer and enormously rich in gas reserves but with a small population of only 1,7 million inhabitants, has been emerging in recent years as a major host of international sports and cultural events.
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Copyright AFP 2010.
