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.'