An ambitious 12 years ahead of schedule, major Chinese cities Chengdu and Chongqing have announced a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
“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,” read a statement on the official Sichuan government website.
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Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, has already announced its bid, though it has ensured that its neighbor would be joining in due time.
“Bidding for the Olympics has always been the dream of the people of Sichuan and Chongqing, and we are still communicating with Chongqing to actively promote it in the future,” Zhao Jun, spokesman of the Sichuan sports bureau told the press.
The bid comes as part of China’s push to develop the economies of its inland provinces, and as part of Chengdu’s five-year plan to expand its international sporting identity, having already secured bids for the 2021 Summer Universiade, the 2022 World Table Tennis Team Championship, the 2023 Asian Cup Soccer Tournament and the 2025 World Games.
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Chongqing, meanwhile, seemed rather unaware — on Weibo, commenters under the trending hashtag “Sichuan and Chongqing’s joint application to host 2032 Summer Olympic Games” were amused at the responses from some officials, who when asked about the bid by a reporter, were completely out of the loop.
“What’s the mascot? ![[doge]](https://img.t.sinajs.cn/t4/appstyle/expression/ext/normal/a1/2018new_doge02_org.png "[doge]")
” wrote one user, referencing the bizarre and cringey mascots featured in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
“I hope I have a kid who’s already a few years old by then,” reads one top comment.
