Olympic officials don’t expect conflict with World Cup

With international soccer officials meeting this week to consider their options for the 2022 World Cup, the International Olympic Committee says it remains confident that the tournament will not be switched to a date that conflicts with that year’s Winter Games.

The 2022 World Cup has been awarded to Qatar, where summers can be unbearably hot. FIFA is contemplating a shift to a cooler time between October and February.

However, “it is in the interest of both organizations that there is no clash between our calendars,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

A task force created by FIFA’s executive committee will continue to discuss the situation and is scheduled to meet again in November.

The IOC has yet to choose a host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics, and no dates have been set for that competition. Adams reiterated that FIFA President Sepp Blatter has assured his IOC counterpart, Thomas Bach, that the World Cup will not be staged during the Games.