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 says.
While stopping short of committing to an Olympic bid, Shanghai's deputy director general of sports told AFP that officials in China's biggest city would be taking an interest in how Tokyo and Paris fare with the Summer Games in 2020 and 2024.
"It's not the first time for these world-renowned sports cities to host the Olympic Games. They must have a lot of good experience in hosting," Luo Wenhua, of the Shanghai Administration of Sports, said in a rare interview with international media.
"I think the next step may be to strengthen communication and let us learn from them."
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"But now they will ask me where the nearest facility for sport is in their neighbourhood or if there are any events that they can participate in."