Shanghai looks to Olympics in push to become sporting capital

SHANGHAI: Shanghai aspires to become a sporting capital like Olympic hosts Tokyo and Paris, and staging a Games would be “the highest ideal”, a top city official said. major annual sporting events including a Formula One race, men’s and women’s golf, Diamond League athletics and the Shanghai Masters tennis, which is just a rung below Grand Slams and the ATP Finals.

In total, Shanghai stages about 160 sports events per year, Luo said.

It’s part of a push by the Chinese city’s authorities to make Shanghai a “globally famous” sports metropolis by 2025.

Luo name-checked Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles, London and New York as cities to emulate.

Of those, only New York has never hosted an Olympics and after the success of Beijing 2008, it seems almost inevitable that Shanghai will one day bid. The next available Summer Games slot is 2032.

Beijing will become the first city to stage both a Summer and Winter Games when it puts on the 2022 Winter Olympics, underlining China’s enduring appetite for the Games.

“Speaking for myself as a sportsman, and for each athlete, participating in the Olympics is the ultimate goal,” said Luo, a former pole vaulter.

“For a sportsman, hosting an integrated sports event like the Olympics would be the highest ideal and a dream.”

But Luo stressed that any bid is a decision for China’s central government, “not one made by a city. If the conditions are mature, we may have such a thought (to bid).”

When Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympics there was plenty of backslapping as China topped the medals table for the first time.

At the ongoing Asian Games in Indonesia, China are at their regular spot atop the medals chart, swelling national pride.