IAAF vice president reminds China of serious battle in 2022 bid

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) vice president Sergey Bubka said on Saturday that China should be highly prepared for serious battle in the 2022 Winter Olympics bid.

Bubka will visit China for the upcoming Athletics Asian Championships, which kicks off on June 3 in Wuhan.

"When I was competed, I always said that you didn't lose if you have even one attempt in reserve. Therefore, Beijing has this attempt and has the chance to win as well as the other city. You must believe and be highly prepared for very serious battle," he said in an email to Xinhua.

Bubka expressed his trust for China to host major events.

"China has already established its reputation as a country which has hosted major international sports events at the highest level. The best example is the successful Olympics Games in Beijing in 2008," he said.

"For sure, China is much more experienced in conducting summer sports competitions but everything has its beginning. Both cities bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics are strong candidates and each of them has strengths and weaknesses," he added.

Beijing will co-host the Games with Zhangjiakou, a city of Hebei province some 200 kilometers northwest to the Chinese capital, if it wins the bid. Almaty, Kazakhstan, is the other candidate city vying for the event.

The IOC will select the host city on July 31 in Kuala Lumpur.