Guangzhou Games bid to raise profile
Guangzhou is vying for a higher international profile and will bid for the 2010 Asian Games, according to the city's sports bureau.
'We do have the plan,' said an official at the bureau yesterday, confirming reports by the Guangzhou Daily that it had made the bid a priority.
The official declined to give more details.
In an interview with the paper, Liu Jiangnan, Director of Guangzhou Sports Bureau, tried to play down expectations of winning the bid by stressing that success would depend on many factors - such as the quality of sports facilities - some of which are beyond Guangzhou's control.
'We may not succeed in winning the bid,' Mr Liu was quoted as saying.
'But the bidding can be a very good learning process and experience for us.'
He also said Guangzhou would try to win the right to hold two international sports events next year as part of efforts to raise the city's international profile and competitiveness.
During an inspection tour four years ago, Guangdong Communist Party Secretary Li Changchun urged the provincial capital to upgrade its infrastructure and transform itself into a metropolis of similar status to Beijing and Shanghai by 2010.
The Asian Games proposal was raised in March by members of the Guangzhou People's Congress - the city's legislature.
Unlike Beijing and Shanghai, Guangzhou has not hosted any major international sports events. The 1990 Asian Games was held in Beijing, which will host the 2008 Olympic Games. Shanghai held the 1993 East Asian Games and is competing to host the 2010 World Expo.
This year's Asian Games will be held in Tokyo. The site of the 2010 Games will be decided in 2004.
