THE Chinese city of Hangzhou has been confirmed as the host of the 2022 Asian Games after standing as the only candidate.

    The Olympic Council of Asia signed a contract with officials from the coastal city of almost 9 million people during meetings in Turkmenistan yesterday.

    “I know it’s the only candidate, but also it has achieved a lot of our goals,” OCA president Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah said.

    “The Asian Games ... will play a very big role in the development of the city,” Hangzhou mayor Zhong Hongming said. “We promise that the games will be hosted at the highest level.”

    With Beijing also hosting the Winter Olympics in 2022, it will be a big year in sport for China, which also held the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

    Hangzhou is a city with an ancient history under China’s former imperial dynasties but has grown rapidly in size in recent years, boosted by the country’s economic growth.

    The next Asian Games will be held in Indonesia in 2018. Originally, Hanoi, Vietnam had been due to hold the games, but it withdrew citing financial concerns. (SD-Agencies)