Related: Blatter: China Can Bid for 2018 World Cup

By Li Xinran

The massive construction of sports venues in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics has enabled the Chinese capital to hold other world-level sports events, such as the 2014 World Cup, a senior Beijing sports official said yesterday in a press conference.

Beijing also hopes to host more sports events after 2008 to fully use the city's new sports facilities, said Sun Kanglin, director of the Beijing Sports Administration.

Wukesong Sports Center, where the 2008 Olympic basketball games will be held, may also host preseason games of the US National Basketball Association next year, according to Sun.

American football and other ball games are also good choices for Beijing, Sun said.

"Our facilities are well-developed and capable of holding the 2014 World Cup," he added. However, Sun's saying was misunderstood by a Xinhua reporter who thought China planned to bid for the 2014 World Cup, said Meng Weiming, a public relations official of the administration.

By 2010, Beijing will have 150 sports clubs built for youngsters and 4,700 local gyms for the city's residents, the Beijing sports authority said in the conference when introducing its upcoming five-year plan.

It will also upgrade 4,195 sports facilities in the next five years and build 180 new facilities for people in the city.

Twenty sports sites will be built neighboring the city's Olympic buildings to serve the local demand for daily exercises.