TEHRAN – Qatari sports officials will travel to Tehran, Iran on Sunday, seeking support for hosting rights of the 2030 Asian Games.

A 12-man delegation of Qatar Olympic Committee headed by Jassim Rashid Albuenain (Qatar Olympic Committee secretary general and Doha 2030 chief executive) will meet with the Iran’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) officials in Tehran in a one-day meeting.

Albuenain will be accompanied by his countrymen Dahlan Jumaan al-Hamad, President of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), and Mohammed Yousef Al-Mana, President of Asian Weightlifting Federation, in the meeting to unveil their plans regarding the arrangements and facilities for the Asian Games 2030.

Albuenain will meet his Iranian counterpart Keykavous Saeidi in NOC’s headquarters in Tehran.

The Qatari delegation also held a meeting with Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) on Thursday.

Qatar faces opposition from bitter political rival Saudi Arabia for the hosting rights of the 2030 Asian Games. 

The country has already staged the Asian Games in 2006 and is going to host the prestigious Games once again, while Saudi Arabia has never staged the Asian Games before.

The two rivals are also among the nations bidding for the Asian Football Confederation's 2027 Asian Cup.

Saudi Arabia led a blockade of Qatar in 2017, after accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.

The country was joined by others including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt in severing diplomatic relations.

Reporting by Masoud Hossein