With the London Olympics coming to an end and Rio de Janeiro now four years away from its debut as the first South American city to host the Olympics, the report explored the possibility of a majority Muslim nation hosting the popular sports event for the first time in Olympics history. Never before has an Olympics been held in a majority Muslim nation.

Kasim Randeree, a researcher at the internationally renowned Said Business School, said in a study that Istanbul, which has lost four previous bids, tops the list.

“From the perspective of the broader international community, engagement with the Muslim world could not be more necessary or timely … and sport has historically been demonstrated as an effective tool in achieving similar goals,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Randeree, as saying.

“It is potentially in their long-term geopolitical and socio-economic interests for a [Muslim] nation to host the Olympics. I think Istanbul rates highly because of Turkey’s history of Olympic participation,” he added.

Randeree claimed that fierce summer temperatures would work against the Gulf cities, and even though the oil-rich states could climate-proof venues, signature Olympic events such as the marathon would still be negatively affected.

Earlier this year, Doha, capital of the Gulf state of Qatar, and Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, were cut from the list of cities bidding to host the 2020 Olympic Games after failing to make the final list for the 2016 Games.

Even though Qatar had the financial means to carry off the 2020 bid, it could not convince the IOC to take a chance on holding the Summer Games in October. Apart from the temperature problem was the prospect of low television ratings due to potential conflicts with television and other sports events going on during that time of year.

6.6 million votes out of the potential 10.2 million went to Hadi, according to Election commission chief Mohammed Al-Hakimi. More than  99 per cent of the 6.6 million votes cast were for Hadi.  The remaining 25,000 ballots casts were invalid. The only choice on the ballot was to vote “yes” for Hadi. Hadi, Yemen’s former vice president, assumes office as part of a transitional deal brokered by Gulf countries and backed by Western powers to end months of deadly unrest in which thousands regularly took to the streets to call for Saleh to go in one of the Arab Spring’s most enduring uprisings.  Hadi stood as the sole candidate to replace Saleh in a power transfer deal backed by Gulf countries and  Western powers.

After his inauguration, the new president sent a message that Yemen must now tackle pressing issues sucha as Yemen’s economic problems  and promised to initiate a dialogue with all political forces to restore security ” where in its absence  any economic growth would be impossible” and “continue the fight against Al Qaeda,” he continued.  The new president called on his countrymen to open a new chapter on “Building a Yemen which will encompass all citizens.”

Hadi, elected for a transitional two-year term, will assume his new duties Monday at the presidential palace where they will officially receive the reins of the country by Saleh.While Saleh returned early today in Sana’a from a trip for medical reasons in the U.S. and settled in his private residence, according to political sources in Yemen, reported Al Jazeera.