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Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has insisted that Dubai will be “in it to win it” if it decides to bid for the 2020 Olympic Games.

The emirate has previously expressed an interest in submitting a bid for the event and Sheikh Mohammed – Dubai’s ruler – chaired the first meeting of the potential bid team in November last year, according to Arabian Business.

Dubai is currently hosting the SportAccord Convention and Sheikh Mohammed said: “No matter what we decide in terms of a possible bid, this process will be good for Dubai. It will help us identify the strengths and weaknesses of our transportation systems, our tourism facilities, our sports venues and other vital infrastructure. The learning process will benefit Dubai even if we never bid for the Olympic Games.

“We have a lot to offer. Dubai already has a well-developed infrastructure and a good track record of staging international sporting events, although admittedly not on the scale of the Olympic Games.

"But we also have to be realistic. The summer heat can be a serious problem for athletes. We will have to take an honest look at our weaknesses as well as our strengths.

"I can assure you of this, though – if we decide to make a bid for the Olympics, we will be in it to win. We would not take such a step unless we were quite serious about it.”