Rumblings about Shanghai potentially making bid to host Olympics
Photograph: courtesy Anthony via Pexels
Shanghai is no stranger to large sporting events – with ATP Shanghai Rolex Masters, F1 and more rolling through the city – and as officials continue to pull in more large sporting events, it should really be no surprise that the 2032 Summer Olympics could be on their periphery.
Luo Wenhua, the deputy director general of the Shanghai Administration of Sports, is the source of these rumblings. According to AFP, in an interview about Shanghai's plans to become a '"globally famous" sports metropolis', on the topic of Olympics Luo stated that for him hosting the Games would be 'the highest ideal'. But he did not confirm plans of a bid, only saying that the decision would come down to China's central government when the time was right.
The upcoming host locations for the next decade have already been confirmed to Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028, making 2032 to next available slot for Shanghai's potential bid.
In a diplomatic manner, Luo is quoted as saying that he would look towards cities like Tokyo, Paris and Los Angeles as positive case studies. So don't be surprised if you see him sitting in the audience taking notes of Tokyo 2020...
All jokes aside, this would be a step towards Shanghai becoming an international sporting capital. The last Olympic games held in China was Beijing 2008, and the next Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing in 2022 (making it the first city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter Games), so it must be Shanghai's time to shine.
Exciting, maybe, but let's not get our hopes up yet. For one thing, it's only rumblings for now, plus word has it that India has also shown interest in bidding for the 2032 Olympics, according to Reuters. It might be time for Shanghai to step up its game. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for any potential torch lightings in our backyard.