Korean city Busan has announced its intention to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
The Gamesbids.com website reports that the announcement was made at a convention at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, attended by the city’s Mayor Hur Nam-sik and Kim Jong-yul, co-chairman of the 2020 Busan Olympic Citizen Organization.
Gamesbids.com quotes Kim as saying, "We will truly be able to host the 2020 Summer Olympics in Busan if the 13 million people who live in the south-eastern region of the Korean Peninsula work together.
“The Busan Olympics will lead Korea to become an advanced country and turn Busan into a renowned international port city".
Preparation for the bid began in 1997 when the city launched a strategy to host a series of international events. In 2002 it hosted the 14th Asian Games, the first time a city other than the capital hosted such a large-scale international sports event in Korea. Busan is also hosting the World Boxing Championships in 2011.
