Another advantage for Qatar's 2036 Olympic aspirations
beIN MEDIA GROUP
The Qatari group signed a deal with the IOC to broadcast the Milano Cortina and Los Angeles Games across the Middle East and North Africa, strengthening its ties with the Olympic Movement as Doha continues its 'continuous dialogue' on a possible 2036 bid.
beIN confirmed on Wednesday that the broadcast-rights deal, signed during the Winter Games, extends its direct relationship with the International Olympic Committee, which began in 2015 and, according to the company, is built on "trust, shared values and sustained long-term investment in sport". The agreement grants beIN multi-platform exclusivity in the MENA region for Milano Cortina and LA28, as well as the Youth Games in 2026 and 2028, with coverage across its beIN SPORTS network and the TOD OTT platform, where it will offer live competitions, highlights and original programming.
Presented as a business move and one of editorial continuity, the operation can also be read as an added-value signal for Qatar at a time when the country maintains a 'continuous dialogue' with the IOC as it seeks to host the 2036 Olympic Games in Doha. Although the agreement does not suggest that beIN has any formal role in the bid, the contract strengthens the link between Qatar's sporting ecosystem and the Olympic structure, a domain in which influence, and execution capacity matter as much as technical plans.
From beIN, the official message focuses on the symbolic weight of the Olympic product and the group's role as a major regional distributor. "The Olympic Games represent the pinnacle of global sport and culture, and we are proud to continue our long-standing, trusted partnership with the IOC," said Yousef Al-Obaidly, the group's CEO, in announcing the deal. IOC President Kirsty Coventry argued that the aim is for "every region of our world has access to the Olympic games," and described the company as a leading player capable of bringing the Games 'to millions of fans across the region'.
The sporting and television dimension of the contract is clear. beIN said its Olympic coverage began with the opening ceremony of Milano Cortina and spans 16 disciplines. The group has structured the broadcast around a dedicated package of nine beIN SPORTS XTRA channels and the TOD streaming offer, a deployment that reinforces its position as a platform for major events in the Arab world.
IOC MEDIA
However, the geopolitical reading gains ground in the light of the context. Qatar announced in 2025 the creation of the bid committee for 2036, chaired by Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and with Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani as vice-chair, tasked with designing a proposal technically robust, sustainable and socially inclusive. The country argues it already has 95% of the necessary sporting infrastructure, a figure repeated as a central pillar of its economic and environmental sustainability narrative, drawing on the legacy of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Doha Metro and Hamad International Airport as a global hub.
In that framework, the beIN agreement functions as a signal of institutional solidity to the IOC. The bid is not only about selling venues and budgets; it also needs to project stability, operational control and relationships of trust within the Olympic movement, particularly in a cycle in which the IOC itself is discussing changes to strengthen the legitimacy of the selection process. IOC member Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic warned last week that the system requires "structured timelines, increased transparency and more meaningful participation by IOC members," and called for "clear criteria, documented procedures and more regular updates" to avoid suspicions of favouritism.
The debate is crucial because the choice of 2036 remains open and is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and diverse in decades. India and Qatar are emerging as the main heavyweights. In India's case, Ahmedabad is positioning itself as the central project, with strong political and financial backing, including Nita Ambani's influence within the IOC, while The Times of India puts the potential cost of the Indian plan ($7.5 billion/€6.3bn) above the budgets expected for Los Angeles 2028 ($5bn/€4.2bn).
Insidethegames
Qatar, by contrast, is betting on a fast-execution, compact bid built around venues that are already operational, an approach that aims to fit the IOC's logic of reducing risk and avoiding ruinous campaigns like those of the past. Doha notes that it reached advanced stages in the 2032 cycle, and argues that the context is now more favourable thanks to mature infrastructure and broader diplomatic capital.
The beIN contract does not amount to a vote or a formal endorsement, but it does add a layer of influence. Securing exclusive distribution of the Games across a region of 24 countries, with substantial television and digital muscle, reinforces Qatar's presence in the Olympic ecosystem and feeds the perception of a stable partner, capable of amplifying the event.