Opinion | Olympics beckons for Shanghai as potential 2032 host aims to reach world sports city status – if it isn’t already among the elite

A decade on from the Beijing OIympics, Shanghai took some of the sporting spotlight from its rival city. Shanghai sports official, Luo Wenhua, of the Shanghai Administration of Sports, revealed the city’s global ambitions this week. China’s biggest city has big ambitions: to become a sporting destination on the level of London, Paris and New York City.

It’s a competitive market, and one that will only become more so as international sports continue to expand their reach overseas. Spain’s La Liga recently announced its intention to stage a league fixture, more than likely featuring FC Barcelona, in the United States. The International Champions Cup has already been taking the Camp Nou club and its fellow elite European sides across the globe on preseason.

China’s not just on the radar for sports organisations, it’s the holy grail. While European sports also want US penetration, and likewise for US sports in Europe as seen by the NFL Europe games in London and Germany, every single sport is courting China. The AFL was recently back in the country for a game, the NHL is on the way later this month as are the NBA as part of their annual preseason.

The China policy of such governing bodies, individual clubs and athletes is still being developed, there is a gap in the market for a dominant sports city. That’s where Shanghai hopes to come in. Right now, it’s just one city on a rolling raft of hosts including Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen for overseas sporting events, and many more from Nanning to Nanjing for more minor competitions.

Shanghai hosts a lot, already, and the case is there for it to host an Olympics – the assumed desire based on Luo’s overtures this week. It is the most cosmopolitan of the mainland’s megalopolises and as the country’s biggest city ­– over 25 million inhabitants at the last count ­– what’s a few more for a couple of weeks in August?