Generous support has been received to help improve Guangzhou's infrastructure in preparation for the 2010 Asian Games. The city will also accelerate reconstruction of old urban districts, environmental improvements and service sector development.

Enterprises, institutions and individuals in Guangzhou have already donated 27.4 million yuan (US$3.3 million) to help prepare for the city's hosting of the 2010 Asian Games, municipal government sources have announced.

Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province in southern China, was selected on July 1 by the Olympic Council of Asia as the venue for the event.

The modern Asian Games began in 1951, but they have their roots in the Far East Championships, a competition held between 1913 and 1934 and mainly involving China, Japan and the Philippines. The last time the Asian Games were held in China was in 1990, in Beijing, and the next event will be in Doha, Qatar, in 2006.

"We sincerely thank people from all walks of life and the enterprises for their generous support for the bid and the construction needed for the Games," Guangzhou Mayor Zhang Guangning said Thursday.

Zhang said the city's robust economic development has laid solid foundations for further development of its infrastructure. "However, people believe that the Games will also benefit them, therefore the organizing committee of the 2010 Asian Games will encourage people and enterprises to continue showing their support," said Zhang.

Guangzhou applied for approval from central government for a series of large-scale projects after it won the bid to host the event. There will be huge investments in infrastructure, including construction of an athletes' village and a new railway station, as well as completion of the second phase of Baiyun International Airport.

"Besides building infrastructure, the city will also speed up its efforts to reconstruct its old urban districts and improve the environment and the development of its service sectors within the next six years, in a bid to enhance its image," said Zhang.

(China Daily October 15, 2004)