LONDON, Nov 25 — Doha offered US$37 million (RM124 million) of new backing to track and field’s governing body minutes before officials voted to make the Qatar city host of the 2019 world championships, raising questions about how the Gulf state uses finance to bargain for sports events.

The proposal was in documents handed to the 27 executives of the International Association of Athletics Federations, or IAAF, before the November 18 ballot. The group’s legal staff, after discussion, decided nothing prevented an increased offer just before voting, Roberto Gesta de Melo, a Brazilian IAAF executive, said in an interview. Doha beat Eugene, Oregon, by 15-12 after the elimination of Barcelona.

Jose Maria Odriozola, a Spanish IAAF executive, complained about the move, saying of Qatar, “All they have is money.” Qatar has pursued sporting events, including its successful bid for football’s 2022 World Cup, to boost its status and drive domestic investment.

The efforts are rankling opponents and raising questions about its approach, according to Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, who has written books about sports-event bidding.

“They want to keep that stuff quiet but it’s tough to keep quiet when there’s that much money involved,” Zimbalist said by phone. “They’re playing a perilous game with some of their methods.”

Monaco vote

Doha’s promise at the IAAF vote in Monaco was mostly from a proposed five-year sponsorship from an unidentified bank, Odriozola said in comments televised by Spain’s Television Espanola. The bidder also said it would build 10 synthetic running tracks in poor nations, Gesta de Melo said by telephone. Odriozola, the US’ Robert Hersh and Qatar’s Dahlan Jumaan al Hamad left the room as IAAF staff decided whether the offer was legal, Gesta de Melo said.

Al Hamad said he “couldn’t say anything” about the pledge, although he added that Doha’s bid hadn’t broken any regulations.

“For me there is no issue,” Al Hamad, who helped organize the bid, said by phone. “We complied with the IAAF’s requests and rules.”

Jill Geer, chief public affairs officer at USA Track & Field, said unlike Doha, Eugene didn’t make a “big cash offer” ahead of the vote.

“We didn’t have any last-minute additions or anything like that,” Geer said by phone.

Moscow offer

Nick Davies, an IAAF spokesman, said Doha didn’t breach the bidding procedure. Helmut Digel, a German IAAF executive, said he supported a change in the rules to stop bidding cities making financial offers, a system that has existed for as long as 25 years. A proposed sponsorship of the IAAF by Russian lender VTB Bank OJSC coincided with Moscow’s successful bid for the 2013 world championships.

It’s “mistake” because the offers put pressure on governments to use taxpayers’ money, Digel said by phone.

Ad Roskam, technical director of the Netherlands’ track and field federation, said IAAF executives had let commercial arguments “weigh more heavily” than sporting conditions, including the heat in Qatar.

“In our eyes they have made a bad choice,” Roskam said in an e-mail.

Money-losing

The IAAF, which is money-losing most years according to Gesta de Melo, will get at least US$18 million a year until 2019 and a share of any extra income under an agreement with marketing agency Dentsu Inc, the Daily Mail newspaper reported September 9, without citing anyone.

Gesta de Melo, who declined to say who he voted for, said executives weren’t swayed by the financial incentive of Doha but because it will take the world championships to a new market where it hasn’t been before.

Earlier this month, Hans-Joachim Eckert, head of football ruling body FIFA’s ethics committee, issued a summary of a report on bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, won by Russia and Qatar, respectively.

‘Negative impression’

The German judge said Qatar’s decision to bankroll the African football confederation’s congress in Angola with US$1.8 million in 2010 — the year of the World Cup award — gave a “negative impression.” He recommended stricter rules on exhibition games after Doha hosted a game between Brazil and Argentina a month before the vote.

More “surreptitious” dealmaking than that employed by Qatar goes on in bidding for the Olympics and World Cup, Zimbalist said. Terrence Burns, managing director of New York-based consultancy Teneo, which has advised cities on competing for sports events, said in an e-mail that Doha’s offer is similar to other successful bidders.

“Bids that win today use all the creativity and assets they can muster,” Burns said. “It’s how the game is played.” — Bloomberg