Chengdu and Chongqing prepare joint 2032 Summer Olympics bid
Could the Summer Olympics be returning to China? Chengdu and Chongqing are making their case for it.
China is set to launch a bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, with the local Sichuan and Chongqing governments forming a joint bid, according to Xinhua.
The future Chengdu/Chongqing Olympic plans were revealed on the website of the local Sichuan provincial government on Friday. “Sichuan and Chongqing’s joint application to host 2032 Summer Olympic Games” trended on social media as a result — #川渝将共同申办2032年夏季奥运会 (chuān yú jiāng gòngtóng shēnbàn 2032 nián xiàjì àoyùnhuì).
(Funny enough, some Chongqing officials seemed unaware of the bid.)
“As part of a national strategy to develop the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, the two cities will bid for the Olympics together to try to host a Games with strong urban and cultural characteristics of the two cities, and to enhance the international influence and competitiveness of the two cities,” the document read.
The Olympic plans form part of a wider long-term sports strategy by the Chengdu and Sichuan governments, with the possibility of hosting the 2030 Summer Youth Olympics also being considered.
Other international sporting events that the city is set to host include the 2021 Summer Universiade, the 2022 World Table Tennis Team Championship, the 2023 Asian Cup Tournament, and the 2025 World Games.
“Sichuan and Chongqing have successfully held a number of international and domestic sports events respectively in the past years, and they have already met the basic conditions for co-bidding for the Olympics. There is no need to invest a large amount of money to hold the Olympics while the Games will bring huge benefits,” Sichuan sports bureau spokesman Zhao Jun told local press.
Neither the Chinese Olympic Committee nor the Chongqing municipal government have commented on the plans.
Australia, Indonesia, Germany, and Qatar are also bidding for the Olympics.
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“The Tibetan Eagle” soars with 44-second KO
Su “The Tibetan Eagle” Mudaerji put the men’s UFC flyweight division on notice after he completed a stunning knock-out of Canadian veteran Malcolm Gordon.
Fighting on the prelims, Su hadn’t fought for 15 months, when he took a comfortable decision win over the Asian sensation Andre Soukhamthath on the undercard for Zhāng Wěilì’s 张伟丽 Shenzhen title bout.
Su entered the fight as the heavy favorite, and within the first 10 seconds had already found his range and landed a couple of leg kicks.
Although Su was fighting in a smaller cage and being backed up by Gordon, it was clear from the start that the Sichuan native was the more proficient striker. After a couple of blocked roundhouse kicks, Su began to land punches on the Canadian.
Despite Su landing left hooks and inside leg kicks at will, Gordon continued to charge down the quicker Chinese fighter.
In the end, it was three well-timed, powerful straight lefts that put the advancing Gordon down and out.
While the fight only lasted 44 seconds, it was clear that Su was in a different league to the Canadian. Although showing aggression, Gordon could not deal with the speed and striking technique of the 24-year-old.
Su, currently unranked, will be hoping that this statement knock-out will give him the chance to fight for a flyweight top 10 ranking and potentially a main card slot.
A clean 44-second win gives Su the opportunity to fight sooner rather than later, and he could make up for lost time by appearing on the card for the next Zhang fight, rumored for early 2021.
WASTED NO TIME ⏱ @Mudaerji_Su w/ the 1️⃣ & DONE!#UFCVegas15 live on E+ pic.twitter.com/kw0mQaZdwL
— UFC (@ufc) November 29, 2020
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Ding knocked out of UK Championship
Defending champion Dīng Jùnhuī 丁俊晖 hit out at “unplayable tables” as he crashed out in the second round of the UK Snooker Championship to the 65th ranked David Grace.
Ding looked set for a comfortable win against his English opponent after he led 5-3 with just a single frame for the win.
However, the Englishman fought back against the faltering Ding to take a miraculous 6-5 win.
An accomplished 95 break for Grace in the opening frame immediately put Ding on the back foot. However, China’s No. 1 began to hit his shots and soon pulled ahead of last week’s Northern Ireland Championship semifinalist.
But it was Grace who found an extra gear to fight back and win three frames on the bounce to claim a memorable win.
Following the match, Ding was quick to congratulate Grace, despite questioning the tournament organizers’ decision to replace the table cloths after just one round.
“He played very well…[but] I am just bad. The table was unplayable,” he told broadcaster Eurosport. “You can see the blue at 4-3 up, it was miles away from my position. I like to play on the practice table, not that.”
“New table, new cloth, new balls, we have no reason to find the wrong things. Like buying a new car and you have a problem — why buy a new car?”
Ding made snooker headlines last week after he raised concerns about a potential live crowd at the Masters in January. The tournament, which is the most prestigious on the calendar, will be held in Alexandra Palace in London.
When asked if he will play in the tournament, Ding said: “I am not sure. I can’t tell you now. It’s still a few months to go. We will see what happens.
“The one big thing is safety. They will not make that decision to let 1,000 in. We know it’s not safe, but what? Money? That’s what’s it all about, I guess.”
The China Sports Column runs every week on The China Project.
