A month before the opening of the Asian Games in southern China, the world’s most populous nation has already set its sights on a bigger prize - hosting its second Olympics.
Officials and residents in Guangzhou, a booming provincial capital whose industrial might has powered China to over 30 years of spectacular economic growth, say they are ready for a Guangzhou Olympics in the not-so-distant future.
“In my personal opinion, in 10 years time, Guangzhou may have the opportunity to bid for the Olympic Games,” Gu Shiyang, vice secretary general of the Guangzhou Organising Committee for the Asian Games, said.
“In 10 or 20 years time, it (will be) time for China to have the Olympic Games again,” he said in an interview.
Beijing hosted China’s first Olympics in 2008, wowing the world with sparkling new facilities, seamless organisation and Chinese athletes that topped the medal table over perennial powerhouses the United States and Russia.
In preparation for the November 12-27 Asian Games, the capital of Guangdong province has followed in Beijing’s footsteps, building new roads, bridges, housing complexes, railway stations and subway lines.
The city has also worked to clean up its water and air and undertook massive urban renewal projects, all while building or refurbishing dozens of modern sports facilities.
“To host international events like the Olympic Games or the Asian Games, I think Guangzhou is next to Beijing in terms of venues, in terms of experience of organising such big events and also in terms of talent,” Gu said.
“For the Olympic Games, you need to have sufficient venues and sports facilities. Guangzhou has these kinds of facilities.... We don’t need to build more venues for the Olympic Games.”
Hosting a second Olympics within a relatively short time span would not be unprecedented.
After staging the Winter Games in Lake Placid in 1980, the United States hosted the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 1984, and again in Atlanta in 1996. The Winter Games came back to the US in Salt Lake City in 2002.
In Asia, Japan put on the Winter Olympics in Sapporo in 1972 and in Nagano in 1998.
Gu emphasised that a bid had not been formulated and the central government had not given the city a green light to prepare such a plan.
He further added that the upcoming Asiad - the second-largest sporting event after the Olympics, featuring 12,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions - needed to be a success before any formal bid plan would go ahead.
Wu Yucheng, an official at Guangdong’s government-run provincial sports bureau, also hinted at the city’s Olympic interest.
“I very much support our nation hosting more big international Games, Games with big impacts,” Wu said.
“I believe that by hosting a successful Asian Games, this will give us an opportunity and the experience to host a future Olympic Games.”
Residents of this sprawling city of over 10 million people, located about 140 kilometres northwest of Hong Kong, are excitedly awaiting the opening of the Asian Games, and keen to live in a potential Olympic city.
“I haven’t heard anything about a bid for the Olympic Games, but definitely I would support this,” said Chen Song, 45, as he awaited his turn in a game of badminton in a Guangzhou park.
“If we could succeed in such a bid, this would be the pride of Guangzhou.”
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