China’s Hangzhou city awarded 2022 Asian Games

The Chinese city of Hangzhou was on Wednesday awarded the 2022 Asian Games, organisers and state media said, in another win for China’s global sporting ambitions.

Hangzhou in eastern China – best known for the West Lake, a placid and much-painted tourist attraction -- was the only candidate city, a report by the country’s official Xinhua news agency said.

Its sole <g data-gr-id="15">candiancy</g> made it a shoo-in for selection by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) at its congress in the Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat.

An OCA spokesman confirmed the decision to AFP, saying the body, the Chinese Olympic Committee and Hangzhou had already signed the hosting contract at the meeting.

The award comes shortly after Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, having hosted the Summer Games in 2008, and means China will host two major multi-sport events in the same year.

China staged official celebrations in July after winning the Winter Olympics bid, beating out Kazakhstan’s Almaty, despite concerns over its human rights record and Beijing’s pollution levels.