China to bid for 2013 East Asian Games

China's northern city of Tianjin will bid for hosting the sixth East Asian Games in 2013, a senior official of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) announced here on Tuesday.

Yu Zaiqing, vice-president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, presented the application to the East Asian Games Association ( EAGA) to bid for the Game to be hosted in Tianjin, a port city about 120 kilometers southeast to Beijing,

"Tianjin will be one of the host cities of the FIFA Women's World Cup China 2007, which will be held this September, and will be the venue for a series of preliminary matches in the football competition of the 2008 Beijing Olympics," said Yu.

"Tianjin possess all the necessary expertise in sports management. The Chinese Olympic Committee and Tianjin will devote their best efforts to win the right to host the 2013 East Asian Games," added Yu.

Chinese Taipei and Mongolia have also expressed an interest in staging the Games in 2013, with the EAGA planning to choose the host city in June this year.