After athletes from 10 Mideast countries won 44 total medals during the Paris Olympics, competition is now set to heat up among regional powers eying a much bigger prize: hosting their own Olympics.

The summer games head to Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032, but Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have set their sights on bringing the world's largest sporting event to their shores, and each could make a strong case to host, according to Kamilla Swart-Arries, a professor of sport and entertainment management at Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University. “Competition to host the Olympic Games has always been fierce, but in recent years Middle Eastern nations have emerged as serious contenders,” Swart-Arries tells Al-Monitor. 

That was on display in Paris this summer, where regional players were busy rubbing shoulders with members of the International Olympic Committee and lobbying to become the first Mideast country to stage the games. For instance, Istanbul’s mayor on Aug. 7 presided over the opening of a promotion center in Paris as part of Turkey’s campaign to host in 2036. Or there’s Saudi Arabia, which on July 12 partnered with the IOC to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in the kingdom starting in 2025. 

Meanwhile, news surfaced on Aug. 11 that Egypt will bid on the 2036 and 2040 games, which also signals how stiff competition has become — a crowded field is jockeying for the next available games, from India to Chile. That also includes Qatar, whose Olympic interest has naturally flowed from its 2022 World Cup, which was touted as a “proof of concept” for the 2036 games (and reportedly saw Doha invest some $300 billion on preparations).