Beijing: China`s sports ministry will back a bid from any enthusiastic city to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, sports minister Liu Peng said.
The northern city of Harbin, which hosted the Winter University Games earlier this year, submitted a bid proposal to China`s State Council last month, while 2007 Asian Winter Games venue Changchun in Jilin province was also reported to be interested.
China must inform the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of the name of any bid city by Oct. 15.
"Harbin and Jilin both have had experience in hosting international winter competitions," Liu told a news conference on Monday.
"Whether to bid for Winter Olympics firstly depends on the enthusiasm of the potential host cities. If they are really enthusiastic to bid we will certainly support them."Liu, who is a member of the State Council, said last month that a Chinese bid to host a Winter Games in 2018 would be "difficult".
Heilongjiang Province spent 3.1 billion yuan ($453.7 million) on building Olympic standard facilities for this year`s Winter University Games in Harbin, including the venue for China`s first accredited Alpine skiing downhill race.
Governor Li Zhanshu was quoted as saying Harbin would not give up if they failed to win, as they did in their bid for the 2010 Games.
"If we fail again in the bid for the 2018 Winter Games, then we are determined to win the 2022 Games," he told the paper. "To host the first ever Winter Games in China is our dream"
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.