Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee president, believes a future Olympics in the Middle East is a realistic possibility.
But he warns that the immediate threat of illegal betting and mafia interference should not to be underestimated ahead of London 2012.
Rogge has ruled the Olympic movement from Lausanne for a decade without the controversy and headlines seen at FIFA.
But the Olympics has many issues to deal with five months before the London Olympics including the dual threat of drugs and corruption.
Rogge spoke exclusively to Al Jazeera's Lee Wellings.