Olympic bid officials from Qatar are heading to the International Olympic Committee to formally submit their candidacy for the 2020 games.

The Doha bid committee says officials plan to deliver the file today at IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The delegation includes two female athletes representing Qatar, which has never sent a woman to the games but is hoping to include women in the London team.

The bid's vice chairman, Sheik Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said yesterday that Doha provides a "historic opportunity" to bring the games to the Middle East for the first time.

Qatar sought the 2016 Olympics, which was awarded to Rio de Janeiro. Doha is now competing with Rome, Madrid, Tokyo, Istanbul and Baku, Azerbaijan.