The city expects to make a profit of 620 million yuan (US$75 million) - and dramatically improve infrastructure and quality of life - by hosting the 2010 Asian Games, according to sources with the municipal government.

This southern business hub of China and capital of prosperous Guangdong will host the Games by default after all its competitors, Seoul of the Republic of Korea, Amman of Jordan, and Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia withdrew their bids during various stages, leaving only Guangzhou with its hat in the ring.

The US$75 million profit will be earned on an investment of 8.3 billion yuan (US$1 billion), that the city has budgeted for upgrading its public infrastructure, including transportation, environment-protection and sports projects.

Although according to Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the official announcement confirming Guangzhou as the Games host will not be made until the OCA General Assembly meets in Doha, capital of Qatar, on July 1, it is clear there is no competition.

However, the city didn't achieve its presumed victory by simply sitting back and waiting for competitors to drop out of the game - the infrastructure development bill, for one thing, shows commitment.

The OCA evaluation committee found an essential factor missing from the Kuala Lumpur bid - a guarantee from the national government, as Celso Dayrit, OCA vice present, commented recently.

In contrast, after its tour of Guangzhou in mid-April, the five-member OCA evaluation committee was pleased that Guangzhou receives strong support from both central and local government agencies.

'What Guangzhou needs to do is to spare no efforts to build the Asian Games Village and other sports facilities as shown in the bid presentation,' Dayrit was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying last week.

By 2010, according to the municipal government, the city will boast a transportation network consisting of one of the largest international airports on the mainland, four railway stations, 10 expressways and 16 other inter-city roads.

Much faster transportation services will be available between Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and other cities in the Pearl River Delta, including Hong Kong and Macao; and one-hour travel times will be commonplace.

The inner-city transport system will also undergo major improvements, based on two ring roads and more than 200 kilometres of metro lines.

In the past few years, Guangzhou has hosted quite a number of national and international sports events, which generated good business for its 1,500 hotels, and the catering, retail and tourism industries.

Editor: Catherine