The decision of the ruling Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to put it on the four-city short-list even though it placed equal third with favourites Chicago and ahead of Rio de Janeiro in its own evaluation ranking left thousands watching on television in Doha stunned.

 

In Athens, Doha officials were angry that the reason given by the IOC was that their propsed date of October for the 2016 Games were outside their recommendation of July and August to avoid televised football in Europe and the NFL in the United States.

 

They claimed that they had checked with senior IOC officials before submitting their bid documents and been assured that they were okay.

 

The feeling lingering in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel, where the Executive Board are holding their meeting, was that Doha had been cut because the IOC feared that its almost unlimited resources, thanks to Qatar's huge oil and gas reserves, would distort the bidding process in the run-up to the final decision in Copenhagen on October 2, 2009.

 

Chicago, Madrid, Rio and Tokyo were put forward to the next round of bidding while Baku and Prague joined Doha in being dropped.

 

In the aftermath of the disappointment it was unclear whether Doha would bid again but Qatar has vowed to continue adding its impressive list of sports facilities.

 

These include an "extreme" sports complex at the Aspire Centre, the Middle East's first football doe and a new aquatics centre.

 

Sandeep Sharma, a former Indian volleyball captain who now lives in Doha, was among those watching the decision left feeling upset.

 

He said: "I am shocked and stunned that Doha didn't make the shortlist.

 

"Maybe 2016 was too early but I think Doha will bid for the Games in 2020 and, who knows, with the experience they have gained from this bid, they might be successful."

 

It was even claimed by Faraj Muftah al-Abudllah, general secretary of the Qatar Volleyball Association, that the decision meant a golden opportunity to help further the cause of women in Qatar had been missed by the IOC.

 

He said: "I am sure if we had been selected and eventually won the hosting rights, it would have helped in the development of various spheres of sporting activity.

 

"Hosting the Olympics would have given the Qatar Women's Sports Committee the possibility to explore the potential of the women of the country in realising the modern requirements desired by international sport."