Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province in southwest China, officially bid to host The World Games 2025, reported Xinhua on Thursday.

Working staff from the International World Games Association (IWGA) spent Wednesday and Thursday assessing Chengdu's abilities to host the event. They listened to the statement of the bidding team, inspected local sports venues and had discussed various issues including the setting of the events with local authorities.

Joachim Gossow, CEO of the IWGA told Xinhua that based on what they saw and learned in Chengdu, the city was qualified as the host city for the World Games and was leading in the competition against other candidates.

Gossow believed that hosting such an event will add more international elements to Chengdu while the exciting competitions of the World Games could bring something new to local people.

The World Games was an international multi-sport event organized and governed by the IWGA and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It included sports that were not contested at the Olympics like squash and tug of war. It was held every four years in the year following the Olympics. The first World Games took place in Santa Clara, California, U.S. in 1981. Next time, it will be hosted by Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. in 2021.

The IWGA will listen to statements of all bidding cities at its congress in Australia in May before deciding which city will host the World Games 2025.

(Top image: A night view of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province in southwest China. /VCG Photo)